Ryan Doyle's Leap of Faith

Ryan Doyle, a British Freerunning World Champion whose creative movements combined with a martial arts background have made him one of the world’s most famous Freerunning and Parkour Athletes, is on a mission around the globe in search of the world’s greatest spots. That means that the 27-year-old uses pretty much anything and everything he can find to perform spectacular jumps, flips and spins.

The latest leg of the Briton’s unique global tour took him to the Taj Mahal in India. On this epic journey he experiences seven stunning countries and cultures that he had never been before to and performs mind blowing action at breathtaking sites where no one would have expected to see those moves.

In an exclusive interview with Yahoo! India Travel Editor Bijoy Venugopal, Ryan Doyle speaks about his passion for one of the world’s lesser-known athletic sports, what inspires him to do what he does for a living, and the places that excite him.

And if you're wondering what freerunning is all about, it is a variation of parkour, a physical discipline and non-competitive activity which focuses on efficient movement around obstacles.

All photographs courtesy of Red Bull India

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Your sport has taken you all over the world. Are you a natural traveler; as in, do you enjoy traveling?

I’m not sure if I am a natural traveler. I get homesick sometimes because I keep leaving my friends and family, but I'm excited about the future, and where parkour is travelling. We have connections to parkour teams in nearly every country, there are many of us, and we're growing fast. Red Bull has allowed me to take my brother with me on the
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Your sport has taken you all over the world. Are you a natural traveler; as in, do you enjoy traveling?

I’m not sure if I am a natural traveler. I get homesick sometimes because I keep leaving my friends and family, but I'm excited about the future, and where parkour is travelling. We have connections to parkour teams in nearly every country, there are many of us, and we're growing fast. Red Bull has allowed me to take my brother with me on the next episode, in China, because i don't get motivated by myself in those hotel rooms.

Only a handful of parkour athletes are travelling like me and it’s not fair. I think I've found a way for athletes to travel in the teams they are in! Who wants to travel alone anyway? I need someone to share experience with. The WFPF connects me with affiliate teams in any country I go to; it’s easier now that I know there will be some English-speaking friends waiting for me.
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