Leaping lizards, it's a parkour showdown

SINGAPORE - If he could, 19-year-old Nigel Mong prefers to climb and jump over obstacles instead of walking around them.

Mr Mong, who is waiting to serve his national service, is a parkour enthusiast. He picked up the urban sport after he was inspired by YouTube clips on the activity.

Yesterday, he and 21 others competed in what was touted as the first parkour competition in Singapore on the last day of the three-day Licence2Play gaming-and-youth-lifestyle exhibition held at Suntec Singapore.

Called the Superfly Parkour Showdown, the event had people aged 14 to 24 moving quickly through an obstacle course constructed within the exhibition hall, by running, jumping and climbing.

Introductory parkour workshops were also conducted for visitors over the weekend by parkour academy Superfly Monkey Dragons.

While Mr Mong did not win - a 24-year-old Filipino studying here got the top spot - he said that it was still a good experience.

"For me, (parkour) is about enjoying myself, it's my passion," said Mr Mong, adding that parkour is unlike other sports, as it does not have many rules.

In its fifth year, Licence2Play was organised by Sphere Exhibits, a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore Press Holdings.

Some 92,000 visitors attended the event, compared with 80,000 last year.

soonws@sph.com.sg

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