180 kmph in 2.15 seconds! Two skydivers set world records with giant catapult
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "180 kmph in 2.15 seconds! Two skydivers set world records with giant catapult")
Screengrab from viral video. Photograph: (X/@redbull)
Two skydivers set two Guinness World Records after being launched at 180 kmph from the world's largest human catapult, built inside a 360-metre-high chimney in Slovenia.
Two skydivers have set the Guinness World Records after being launched more than 100 metres into the air from the world's largest human catapult in Slovenia. Dani Roman, a 35-year-old Spanish wingsuit flyer, and French skydiver Fred Fugen, 47, took part in the stunt in Trbovlje on November 5. The catapult was installed inside a 360-metre-high chimney, which is recognised as Europe's tallest.
The 60-metre-long structure sent the two men into the air at 180 kmph, reaching that speed in just 2.15 seconds. Roman first attempted the launch alone and reached 100.36 metres above the point from which he was released. The feat earned him a world record for the greatest height reached by an individual using a human catapult.
The two then attempted a joint launch. Roman reached 75.97 metres, while Fugen reached 75.75 metres above their respective release points. Their combined height of 151.72 metres gave them a second record.
The pair reached 456.7 metres above ground level during the stunt before opening their parachutes and landing safely.
The catapult was built by Slovenian engineering and stunt team DD Squad. Work on the project took two and a half years, with the system designed to operate inside the chimney at Trbovlje.
The launch subjected the skydivers to forces of up to 4.2G. Roman and Fugen have completed more than 32,000 parachute jumps between them, but this attempt required them to be propelled into the air by a mechanical system rather than make a conventional jump.
