As a child he played video games, ate chips and was quite unsportsmanlike. Today he is the world’s most successful sportsman on the net. When the course runner Jason Paul (29) runs through cities and incorporates tricks and flips, his YouTube clips are viewed up to 140 million times. For comparison: soccer superstar Lionel Messi gets 2.5 million views with his best video.
BILD: Mr. Paul, why does a young man become a “freerunner” and not a professional soccer player?
Jason Paul: When I was around ten I tried a lot: fencing, handball, soccer. I’ve tried almost every sport. None of them really convinced me – except football. But only partially.
BILD: Approach?
Paul: I would much rather hit the ball on the roof than into any goal. I found climbing the school roof much more exciting than this constant pushing back and forth with the ball. But I also have to admit: I wasn’t a good kicker. And it’s also a fact: As a child, I could neither do a handstand nor do two pull-ups. My thin arms didn’t have the power back then.
Photo: Rutger Pauw / Red Bull Contentpool-“data-zoom-src =” https://bilder.bild.de/fotos/ein-bild-bei-dem-viele-menschen-sicherheit-noch-nicht-einmal-hinsehen-koennen-jason-paul-springt- von-ein-e091685a2c6d49e2ae0e46134465f8fb-74820066 / image / 1.image.jpg “/>
A picture that many people certainly can’t even look at: Jason Paul jumps from a roof in HamburgPhoto: Rutger Pauw / Red Bull Contentpool
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BILD: Today you jump from skyscrapers, bridges and museums …
Paul: One day, when I was 14, a friend showed me a video. There was such a young Frenchman who just ran over everything that got in his way. Awesome, I thought, this guy does exactly what I do with my video games. I knew immediately: from today on I want to be like the guy. So I “really” jumped off the 20 centimeter high curb.
BILD: Every first grader can do that.
Paul: Right. That’s why I went to my gym teacher and asked her if she could teach me a somersault. In the next few months I got to know my body for the first time in my life. It was like a frenzy, I was like newborn. My buddies and I were suddenly obsessed with looking for any edges or ledges in the city that we could jump up or down. Today the whole world is my playground.
BILD: What is the daily training routine for the “Super Mario” from Frankfurt like?
Paul: When I was still in high school, I trained five or six hours a day. Today with family and the many trips it looks different. I train a lot less, but more specifically. Whenever possible, out on the street, on asphalt and concrete.
<img class="photo ondemand zoomable" src="https://bilder.bild.de/fotos-skaliert/jason-paul-in-japan–er-bereist-die-ganze-welt-818aa2d8c2934364adfc3907ac95638e-74820068/1,w=1280,c=0.bild.jpg" width="1280" alt="Jason Paul in Japan – er bereist die ganze Welt" data-zoom-title="Jason Paul in Japan – er bereist die ganze Welt
Jason Paul in Japan – he travels all over the world Photo: Rutger Pauw / Red Bull Contentpool
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BILD: Are you still living out of your suitcase?
Paul: For the past five or six years I’ve lived like a nomad: I didn’t have a car or a permanent home. I was fascinated by this minimalism. That’s why a few years ago I parted with everything that didn’t fit in my suitcase. That was a great time, I was always on the move: Bangkok, Los Angeles, Mumbai, Tokyo, Morocco and Istanbul. It’s more difficult now with a small child.
BILD: Why do you think so many people watch your videos?
Paul: Because they understand what I do. When a climber declares that he has climbed Mount Everest, then people know that it is a high mountain. But they cannot really understand how exhausting and dangerous it is for him. In contrast, almost everyone was at Munich Airport or the Brandenburg Gate. If I do spectacular tricks there, people can understand that. What’s more, you understand.
BILD: What is your day-to-day work like?
Paul: I’ve been doing it this way for 14 years: Get out on the street, cheat, go home. There the films are edited, given a cool beat and put on the web. My only companions were my father’s camera and a tripod. I didn’t need more.
BILD: Viewed globally: Who can do the best tricks?
Paul: The Spanish are good at banisters because of their eye-catching architecture. The Americans love their mega moves in almost the same place. The Russians, in turn, are acrobats on the poles, a relic from the Soviet era. And the French always just want it to look incredibly spectacular. What makes us different from other athletes is that we can be happy with others. Envy, jealousy – that is frowned upon in our community. We present ourselves together, we inspire each other, we exchange ideas.
