Extreme sports

Balloonist to circle in record time, the world

The Russian balloonist Fedor Konjuchow has set a new world record. He circled the earth alone in eleven days, as the broadcaster ABC reported. The starting point of the height of the trips was to Perth in Australia.

After the Overflight of the target point of the 65-Year-old landed safely in the small town of Bonnie Rock in Western Australia. So Konjuchow has placed almost 34,000 Erd-Kilometer, two days faster than the previous American record-holder Steve Fossett, who started in 2002, also from Perth.

Konjuchow chose the East Route across the Pacific, South America, the Atlantic ocean, South Africa and the Indian ocean. The hot air balloon was up to 300 kilometres per hour on the road and took advantage of the jet stream, a large air flow high above the earth’s surface. In this altitude of eight to ten kilometres, Mr minus 56 degrees Celsius.

Experienced Extreme Athletes

Ensure Konjuchow had, as the Wind drove him in the direction of Antarctica. It was scary, so far away from civilization. This place felt very lonely. No ships, planes, no Land, so the adventurers.

To circle the earth in a balloon is not Konjuchows first adventure. The Russian Orthodox priest rowed already in 160 days 16,000 kilometers across the Pacific ocean, travelled by foot to both the North and South pole, sailing around the world alone, and ascended to the summit of Mount Everest.

cgn/wl (afpe, dpa, rtre)