IF, AS THE Chinese proverb goes, you're not a great man until you climb the Great Wall, what do you call someone who skateboards right over the top of it?
Skate kids around the world call Danny Way their idol, and with good reason. Adding to his two other world records, the Californian has become the first person to successfully leap the wall on a skateboard, achieving the feat at Juyongguan, a section of the wall 40 minutes' drive from Beijing.
An unlikely gathering of Chinese officials and thousands of diehard skate kids turned out for the event last Saturday, each eyeing the other suspiciously while cheering on Way. Despite his past triumphs, no one was sure if he could do it. The last time someone attempted such a jump - on bikes in 2002 - one rider died of head injuries, although another made it over.
Rob Dyrdek is one of the world's top street skateboarders and part of Way's large and vocal entourage. 'Man, I was so nervous for him,' he says in a Californian drawl. 'He's doing fine, but the rest of us ... We know how difficult the stunt is to do.'
For 31-year-old Way, picked last year as one of Outside magazine's 'Coolest People to Know', the jump was the highpoint of his career. He injured himself during a practice session the day before and had to limp off the run, but he went for it anyway. 'My brain or heart needed to stop before I'd have cancelled the jump,' he says. 'It meant that much to me.'
Way thought up the idea for the jump last year when pondering his next challenge. Nine months later, the US$500,000 MegaRamp, the largest skateboarding structure built, was a stunning sight in itself.
