Daredevil crosses gorge without safety net
Wind was biggest problem for Nik Wallenda as he completes crossing in under 23 minutes
US daredevil Nik Wallenda has become the first man to cross a Grand Canyon-area gorge on a tightrope, completing his latest record-breaking feat in under 23 minutes.
The 34-year-old, who walked across the Niagara Falls last year, said he prayed constantly as he crossed a tributary gorge of the US landmark on 426-metre-long high wire some 450 metres above the Little Colorado River. He had no safety line or net.
Wind gusts were higher than expected, and he twice crouched down on the wire as it wobbled. "Those winds (were) so unpredictable ... just out of the blue there would be a 35 miles an hour (64 km/h) gust," he said.
"My arms are aching like you couldn't believe," he added, hugging his wife and children after the nerve-wracking walk - without a harness - over the stunning gorge in eastern Arizona broadcast live around the world.
Organizers said he took 22 minutes and 54 seconds to cross the wire - faster than anticipated - giving a thumbs up and half-running the last several metres to reach the other side.
There was some debate over whether the walk was over the Grand Canyon itself - technically it was over a tributary gorge in the Navajo Nation, east of the main part of the world-renowned landmark.
But organisers insisted he had walked across the Grand Canyon, and many who watched the death-defying stunt were willing to forgive any over-zealous marketing hype.