If you’ve ever happened upon a track with the high hurdles set up and gave them a go, you’re probably well aware of how hard it is to clear the rigid 42-inch high obstacles. But Danish high jumper Janick Klausen prefers a wee bit more of a challenge…
JANICK KLAUSEN HAS GOT HOPS
Although it’s hard to gauge exactly how high the high hurdles are in the video Klausen posted to Instagram, it’s clear that the final one is close to the same height as the gifted athlete himself.
What makes Klausen’s leaps so impressive is that he clears the hurdles with straight-forward jumps and not the Fosbury Flop preferred by high jumpers.
LEGS OF STEEL
Klausen’s extreme training isn’t limited to bounding over super-sized hurdles.
Standing back flips are hard enough when initiating the move with one’s arms, but when you have spring-loaded legs like Klausen, it’s possible to execute a pair of flips with your hands behind your back.
Klausen ran out of weights to add to the leg press, so he tossed a man on top before lowering the 450 kgs (992 pounds) one leg at a time. Truly, a ton of fun!
And, of course, there’s nothing like cooling off with some straight-legged box jumps after an intense lower body workout.
GREAT DANE
Klausen’s unorthodox training has paid dividends. After setting a national age record with a clearance of 2.10 meters at age 15, he won his first outdoor national title the following year.
The next seven years, Klausen was more or less sidelined with a variety of injuries and resulting surgeries, but in 2015, at age 23, he claimed his second outdoor title and barring new setbacks is looking forward to many more to come. His personal best at the indoor high jump is currently 2.27 meters (7.45 feet), just 18 centimeters off Javier Sotomayor’s world record.
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