Freerunning
Dominic Di Tommaso just hit freerunning gold in Johannesburg
Join the Australian as he flips, rolls and flies his way through some iconic landmarks of the 'City of Gold' as Johannesburg is affectionately known.
Johannesburg is informally known as 'egoli' or 'The City of Gold' thanks to its rich gold-mining history. To most, it's a concrete jungle of skyscrapers, malls and residential areas. For freerunner Dominic Di Tommaso, it's a grown-up's playground. With incredible sights, sounds and stories around every corner, follow his flip-filled journey through some of the most beautiful landmarks in the city, from Gold Reef City to Hillbrow's Ponte, Soweto Theatre and the heights of the city's CBD Sandton skyline.
Time to reflect in the CBD
© Tyrone Bradley/Red Bull Content Pool
Around the world
Di Tommaso is a former garbage collector who grew up with a passion for dance, ballet and figure skating, but the Australian native has taken his passion for movement to amazing heights. From Switzerland and Belgium to Istanbul's 550-year-old Grand Bazaar, he's taken on punishing urban landscapes and iconic structures around the world – creating some vertigo-inducing video content along the way.
When he saw Johannesburg, he was blown away. “I love the uniqueness of each location and how its architecture is informed by its culture and its past, as well as its present. I love the variety of obstacles, ledges and walls I find in each country and how each one offers up its challenges differently,” he said.
Leaping from the iconic Soweto Theatre
© Tyrone Bradley/Red Bull Content Pool
Striking a pose
© Craig Kolesky/Red Bull Content Pool
Thrills and spills
Despite his Instagram account featuring many falls and spills that leave viewers wincing, Di Tommaso is still able to bring a thrilling elegance to the demanding world of freerunning and parkour. He leaps with such style that he’s amassed over 1.6m Instagram followers and is a regular at the world’s highest profile freerunning competition, Red Bull Art of Motion.
Getting into the swing of it
© Tyrone Bradley/Red Bull Content Pool
Explore more spectacular freerunning
For the love of freerunning
“I’d love to think that my passion for freerunning has inspired other athletes over the years that I’ve been sharing it with the world,” he says. “It’s a goal of mine to get as many people interested in and engaged by this sport, and if it can help someone else growing up the same way that it’s helped me, that’s all I can ask for.”