Just spread your arms and fly – for base jumpers, this dream comes true. The extreme athletes jump from dizzying heights into the depths – true to the motto: higher, faster, further – and more dangerous.
The group advertised its energy drink with the successful slogan “Red Bull gives wings”. Base jumpers fit perfectly with both the slogan and the general concept of the Austrian group. Red Bull also uses dangerous stunts by its athletes to advertise the “adrenaline extra kick”. In turn, the drinks manufacturer allows them to live as well-paid professional athletes.
Only: the media-effective sporting events also have their downsides. Athletes have repeatedly been seriously injured at Red Bull events in recent years for performing unique stunts and breaking the limits. Some even lost their lives. The list of tragic accidents is long.
The Fatal Leap
In 2009, Swiss base jumper Ueli Gegenschatz (†38) jumped 88 meters from the Sunrise Tower in Zurich during a Red Bull event – and crashed uncontrollably to the ground. He died two days later as a result of his head injury.
Eli Thompson († 36) died in 2009 while filming a Red Bull ad. The American jumped out of a helicopter in a wingsuit over the Swiss Alps.
Australian Shane McConkey († 40) died in 2009 after jumping over the Italian Dolomites. During the stunt, he couldn’t find the right position to unfasten his wingsuit bindings and continue flying.
Accidents among Red Bull athletes take a long time
Antoine Montant († 30) died in France in 2011 while attempting the jump alone. But at the decisive moment, the wingsuit cannot be opened.
The Russian Valeri Rosow (52) jumped from the Himalayas in 2017 and did not survive the daring stunt. Rosow is probably one of the Red Bull Club’s best-known basic jumpers, breaking the record for heights and jumps of 7,220 meters in the Himalayas in 2013.
The BASE jumpers aren’t the only Red Bull-sponsored athletes to have been seriously injured — or killed — while performing their stunts. Motocross riders, stunt drivers and motorcyclists also die almost regularly during their performances.
Heroes are people too
In 2013, the documentary “The Dark Side of Red Bull” was released. It also covers the death of motocross racer Eigo Sato (†34). The Japanese had a serious accident during a race on February 28, 2013, and later died in hospital.
Another sad example is that of Toriano Wilson († 14). The youngster from Bermuda had been called up to the “Red Bull AMA US Rookies Cup”. On August 17, 2008, he was killed in a motorcycle accident on the first lap.
Red Bull provides the athletes with well-paid contracts with special obligations. The company presents them as heroes because the fans expect a spectacle. But even if these heroes are exceptional athletes, they are ultimately people who are not invulnerable.