SOUTH AFRICA: FRENCH CLIMBER ALAIN ROBERT NICKNAMED 'SPIDERMAN' CLIMBS SKYSCRAPER IN JOHANNESBURG

Record ID: 501121

  • Title: SOUTH AFRICA: FRENCH CLIMBER ALAIN ROBERT NICKNAMED 'SPIDERMAN' CLIMBS SKYSCRAPER IN JOHANNESBURG
  • Date: 3rd February 1998
  • Summary: JOHANNESBURG (FEBRUARY 2, 1998) (RTV) VARIOUS ROBERT HOLDING ON WITH ONE HAND AND FOOT AND LOOKING DOWN, ROBERT NEAR THE TOP AND WAVING TO PEOPLE BELOW, ROBERT CLIMBS OVER EDGE OF BUILDING AND STANDS HANDS HELD HIGH ABOVE HEAD (2 SHOTS) SCU UNIDENTIFIED ONLOOKER SAYING "I THOUGHT HE WAS GOING TO COMMIT SUICIDE" SCU UNIDENTIFIED ONLOOKER SAYING "WE THOUGHT HE'S CRAZY, BUT HE'S GOT A LOT OF GUTS" (ENGLISH) SLV ONLOOKERS WALKING ALONG STREET SV ALAIN ROBERT SPEAKING: I ENJOY THIS KIND OF CHALLENGE BECAUSE ESPECIALLY IN SOUTH AFRICA, BECAUSE NORMALLY THE POLICE CATCH ME AND ARREST ME AT THE TOP. SOMETIMES I GO TO JAIL AND I STAY 1 DAY, 1 HOUR, 10 DAYS, IT DEPENDS." (ENGLISH) SV PEOPLE IN STREET SV ALAIN ROBERT SPEAKING: I HAVE TO TRAVEL AND REALISE MY DREAM, BECAUSE THE LIFE IS SHORT AND IN THIS SHORT TIME, ITS BEST TO DO WHAT YOU WANT (ENGLISH) SV PEOPLE LISTENING SCU ALAIN ROBERT SAYING HE SLIPPED A LOT AT THE END OF THE CLIMB, HE WAS TIRED. THERE WAS A LOT OF WIND AND WAS VERY DEHYDRATED. HE DRANK ONE LITRE OF COFFEE AND WAS EXPLOSIVE (FRENCH) SV PERSON TRYING TO CLIMB THE GLASS WALL AND FAILING, PAN DOWN BUILDING
  • Embargoed: 18th February 1998 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA
  • Country: South Africa
  • Topics: Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVA9I6DTXNP8NARBHX6LFRFW1WPC
  • Story Text: Frenchman Alain Robert, nicknamed "Spiderman", has once again tackled, and conquered, a skyscraper without any safety equipment, this time in Johannesburg.

    Pedestrians were stunned on Monday (February 2) when daredevil Alain Robert hooked his hands into a groove on a South African 21 storey skyscraper and proceeded to walk up the side of the slippery, blue glass office block.

    "He's mad, look at him!" said one passerby.

    Others thought that he was crazy, but admitted that it took a lot of courage.

    Climbing the "modest" building only took Robert 10 minutes, and left his hands a little cut and sore.But the highlight after his exhilarating climb, was that he wasn't arrested.

    "Normally the police catch me and arrest me at the top," Robert said.

    Robert has climbed skyscrapers all over the world, including the world's tallest, the 425m Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, which he climbed last April.

    The talented and fearless "spiderman" started climbing in 1975 and has also conquered mountains and ice-falls with his bare hands and feet.One of his next projects will be rock climbing.

    Robert even made some converts from the disbelieving crowd.But as they took their turns at climbing up the wall, it obviously wasn't as easy as he made it look.
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