A staircase can be a shortcut, a rooftop can be a view, and a city square can be somewhere to stop for a coffee. Give the same places to these athletes and they become the setting for something far more spectacular. Wheels leave the ground, bodies rotate through tight spaces, and familiar architecture suddenly looks completely different.
These seven profiles span BMX, inline skating, freerunning, freestyle skateboarding and trials riding. The full feature gives the action room to breathe, with longer sequences than the one-minute teaser. Here are the people, places and original films to look up when a moment makes you want to know more.
1. Kriss Kyle
Where: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Dubai is already built to attract attention. In Red Bull’s BMX landmark film, Kriss Kyle gives it another reason. The Scottish rider moves through locations in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, using the city’s architecture as the setting for a series of ambitious tricks. The original film includes an extraordinary arrival by helicopter onto the Burj Al Arab.
What makes the riding worth watching is the relationship between the approach and the obstacle. A spectacular location provides the backdrop, but Kyle has to carry the right speed and position into the move. Our selected sequence lets that setup remain visible. For the complete project, search for ‘BMX Riding Dubai’s Most Famous Landmarks’ and Kriss Kyle.
2. Sven Boekhorst
Where: Amsterdam and Rotterdam, Netherlands
Sven Boekhorst’s Cityhopper has a wonderfully simple premise: take a portable launch ramp to city locations in the Netherlands and see what an exceptional inline skater can do with it. The ramp brings a familiar piece of skate equipment into spaces normally used by pedestrians and visitors.
That change of setting is what gives the footage its scale. Street architecture makes the height and movement easier to appreciate than an isolated shot inside a skatepark. Watch his body position through the air and the adjustment as the wheels meet the ground. The original Dutch Cityhopper project is a useful starting point for finding the locations and seeing more of the setup behind each attempt.
3. Dimitris “DK” Kyrsanidis
Where: Thessaloniki, Greece
A suit is hardly the outfit most people associate with freerunning. Dimitris ‘DK’ Kyrsanidis makes it part of the visual joke in Run Away, a short film created for ARISTOTELI BITSIANI and filmed in Thessaloniki, Greece. Director and editor Steve Ketner turns the athlete’s movement into a cinematic chase.
The chase is staged, so this is a performance built around a fictional story. Its appeal is the way Kyrsanidis connects obstacles: a change of direction becomes a vault, a wall becomes an opportunity for an acrobatic move, and the street becomes part of the choreography. Look up both the athlete’s name and ‘Run Away’ to find the original campaign and its production credits.
4. Kilian Martin
Where: New York City, United States
Kilian Martin’s section changes the pace. His freestyle skateboarding is less about charging towards a huge drop and more about finding surprising possibilities in a board, a ledge and a patch of pavement. The urban sequences selected from Brett Novak’s Searching Sirocco were filmed in New York City, in the United States.
Watch the feet and hands closely. A board can become something to balance on, reposition or combine with another board, rather than simply something to ride forwards. The complete film also visits landscapes outside New York; those other locations should not be confused with the city section shown here. Searching for ‘Kilian Martin Searching Sirocco Brett Novak’ will take you to the full project.
5. Ryan Doyle
Where: Baku, Azerbaijan
Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, gives Ryan Doyle a setting with a striking mix of stone surfaces, unusual architecture and changing heights. In Parkour in Baku City, directed by Dağhan Celayir for Red Bull, Doyle moves through that environment with the precision that makes strong freerunning footage so satisfying.
The wider views matter. When you can see the wall, the athlete and the space around him, the movement becomes easier to read. A close-up may show effort, but a complete sequence shows how the obstacle is being used. Our chapter keeps those relationships visible. The original film is credited to C.A.S.E Productions, with cinematography by Engin Özkaya and editing by Erhan Acar.
6. Danny MacAskill
Where: Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Spain
Danny MacAskill’s Cascadia takes trials riding onto the rooftops of Las Palmas, on Gran Canaria in Spain’s Canary Islands. The colourful setting is memorable by itself; the riding adds another layer. For this feature, we use behind-the-scenes material about filming the final jump, rather than presenting it as a continuous excerpt from the main film.
That choice reveals the production around the spectacle. Camera positions and preparation give context to the finished moment, reminding viewers that a short highlight can sit at the end of considerable work. GoPro’s source credits include collaboration with Mount Creative and Vision Ramps, and our footage comes from Canary Productions’ upload. Look up ‘Danny MacAskill Cascadia filming the final jump’ for more.
7. Jason Paul & Team Farang
Where: Bangkok, Thailand
Bangkok, Thailand, provides the nighttime finale. Light Emitting Dudes brings Jason Paul, Shaun Wood and Anan Anwar of Team Farang into the streets wearing LED suits. Frank Sauer’s film uses freerunning, darkness and colour together, with costumes designed by Christina Zahra.
The glowing bodies make each rotation easy to spot against the night. Some shots also use long-exposure techniques to create light trails; those trails are part of the film’s visual treatment. This is a team sequence, so the chapter credits all three athletes rather than assigning every move to Jason Paul. Search for ‘Light Emitting Dudes Team Farang Frank Sauer’ to see the original film and its detailed credits.
Watch each landing, too: those final seconds often reveal just how much control the trick demands. The connecting idea is imagination backed by control. These athletes notice routes and possibilities most of us walk past, then turn them into a performance that works on camera. The full feature below brings all seven profiles together, while the shorter teaser offers a quick introduction to the first three.
For more extraordinary people, locations and feats worth watching, explore WayTooAwesome.com. Original film links are included with each section so you can continue researching the athletes and the places that caught your eye.