He began to challenge himself to move from one place to another, often in rundown urban areas, using as many of these movements as he could. He never allowed himself to use equipment that would make his task any easier.

As he grew older, his friends began to join him in his physical exercise routines. In the late 1980s, they formed a group that they called The Yamikazi. The more they practised, the better they became. At some point, photographs of them were taken and sent to a French TV station. It was from here that the popular and skilled sport of Parkour grew. (Parkour comes from the French word for obstacle course, parcours du combatant.)

People were fascinated to watch these young athletes and their creative moves. Parkour looked exciting. Whilst it was not considered to be an extreme sport, it could certainly be very dangerous. Film directors soon began to see how Parkour could fit into adventure movies. Many years later, the amazing opening of the James Bond film Casino Royale featured a chase between James Bond and a villain – played by Parkour expert Sébastien Foucan.

In 2002, David appeared in a short promotion for a TV series called Rush Hour. It began with him climbing through the window of his London office. He then ran along the rooftops to get home as quickly as possible so he could watch his favourite TV show. People who saw this promotion were amazed that he used no props, wires or special effects.

David Belle always felt that Parkour should not be competitive. By 2008, there were many athletes interested in Parkour and the World Freerunning Parkour Federation was created. Its objective was to promote Parkour as a sport. It soon caught the attention of MTV who, the following year, created a hugely popular series called The Ultimate Parkour Challenge. This annual programme has since attracted millions of viewers across the world.

QUESTION:

VOCABULARY