Bike
BMX
George Ntavoutian lands world-first BMX flip between moving boats
The Greek BMX rider defied wind, waves and gravity to nail a towering open loop out on the water in the Netherlands.
Greek BMX athlete George Ntavoutian has landed one of the most daring tricks ever attempted on water, executing a gravity-defying loop jump from one moving boat to another as the vessels sailed just a metre apart on Gooi Lake in the Netherlands. It was a stunt which left little room for error, with any misjudgement carrying the risk of ending up in the water.
Watch the video below, then read the story behind how Ntavoutian turned an almost impossible idea into reality.
The story behind a towering feat
It was a chance encounter with BMX in his hometown of Kalamata that sparked the lifelong dedication in Ntavoutian. Inspired by his father, an accomplished MTB and road cyclist, he gravitated towards BMX's technical challenges and adrenaline-pumping manoeuvres – including conquering the world's biggest-ever full loop in 2024.
Nerves of steel – George Ntavoutian is known for his daring feats
© Keenan Meyer/Red Bull Content Pool
Now widely regarded as the world's leading 'loop master', Ntavoutian knows how to handle an open loop - a towering stunt in which a rider builds huge speed, rides completely upside down through a giant inverted loop, and launches out to a landing on the other side.
But out on the water, everything changed. Rather than taking off from a fixed ramp, the 27-year-old had to navigate wind, waves and shifting boat speeds, adding layers of uncertainty to a trick he was so accustomed to.
George Ntavoutian surveys the situation ahead of his jump
© Jason Broderick/Red Bull Content Pool
I actually had to forget everything I normally do and reinvent the wheel
How Ntavoutian overcame setbacks to succeed
It wasn't all plain sailing, understandably. Throughout the day, Ntavoutian battled a series of setbacks, bruising his shin in one failed attempt and even losing a shoe mid-run in another. Multiple unsuccessful tries took both a physical and mental toll as the narrow margin for error became increasingly apparent. "I seriously got scared," he admitted afterwards.
Yet despite the pain, frustration and mounting pressure, he refused to back down. Resetting after each attempt, he eventually found the perfect combination of speed, timing and bravery to finally land the historic boat-to-boat transfer.
George Ntavoutian perservered to finally land the huge trick
© Rutger Pauw/Red Bull Content Pool
"I can't compare it to anything, I've never done anything like this before," Ntavoutian said after his successful attempt. "My landing actually moved further and further away from me. Only in mid-air, while I was already hanging upside down, did I know if I would make it. I basically had to forget everything I normally do and reinvent the wheel."
A trick that even astounded the experts
Even by Ntavoutian's high standards, this was a remarkable achievement, and the experts were amazed by the complexity of the project. Former BMX professional and national coach Daniel Wedemeijer watched the performance on Lake Gooi with deep respect.
George Ntavoutian and Daniel Wedemeijer perform some checks
© Jason Broderick/Red Bull Content Pool
He's really the only one in the world who can do this
"George is super good at the trick he does here, everyone in the BMX world knows that," Wedemeijer explained. "Only thing that makes it really difficult here is the timing. And, of course, the wind and the waves. He's really the only one in the world who can do this."
That this world-first took place in the Netherlands is no coincidence. Ntavoutian has a long-standing connection to the country, having fallen in love with BMX at Eindhoven's Area51 skatepark as a teenager before landing his first-ever backflip in Rotterdam. A visit to the Netherlands last year, and its iconic waterways, sparked the idea for what would become a historic BMX stunt that seemed to defy logic.
