The Swedish Parkour King and Queen’s quest for World Games triumph are fueled by community and innovation
The Swedish Parkour King and Queen’s quest for World Games triumph are fueled by community and innovation. Elis Torhall (SWE) and Miranda Tibbling (SWE), who has risen to the top of the sport and are the favorites to win the sport’s first World Games championship in 2022, have a fierce affection for the culture of parkour.
Although Elis Torhall and Miranda Tibbling were raised in separate towns and regions of Sweden, their lives began to take quite similar turns as soon as they discovered parkour.
As the athletes to beat when Parkour makes its debut at global events, the pair, who are both now 18 years old, are prepared to travel to Birmingham, Alabama (USA). The traceurs are confident that they can precisely identify the cause of this.
Torhall, the Freestyle champion at the last two FIG Parkour World Cups, claimed, ‘I tried a lot of sports, but I only really really enjoyed Parkour. I merely adore the neighborhood, and the sport itself is fantastic.’
Tibbling, who achieved the same feat as her countryman by winning gold medals in the Speed discipline at both the 2021 and 2022 World Cups in Sofia, Bulgaria, is well aware of what Torhall is referring to.
According to Tibbling, who also won silver in the freestyle event at the World Cup in Montpellier, ‘the community is incredibly crucial, especially at the beginning. I started working out with four guys who were training in parkour at the gym at my school near where I lived. You feel like you are part of something. Suddenly, there are five individuals in our small village training and just having fun. Everyone gets along better, and you can always count on one another. You can message someone on Instagram from anywhere in the world, and they will reply, Yeah sure, I can host you,” so you can stay there and practice with them.’
It is a significant lift, one that has surely strengthened Tibbling and Torhall’s will to succeed. Tibbling is also quick to highlight another important aspect of the activity, which makes spending hours and hours pushing yourself to the edge, not just feasible but also alluring. ‘I really love that you can make creative decisions and no one can tell you it’s incorrect because you can do whatever you want,’ Tibbling added with a smile. ‘Parkour is so liberating, everything is right.’
These elements have made rapid advancement possible for both Swedes. Torhall has taken to Freestyle in particular, and he enjoys the way it combines planning runs with letting oneself ‘go on autopilot’ once he is on the go. Tibbling, however, has excelled in the women’s Speed division despite just taking on the challenge for the first time in 2021.
‘I enjoy it because everything occurs so quickly that you can’t even think; you just have to flee for your life, ‘she chuckled. You rush with so much adrenaline. When you run, you don’t even consider if you’re going to jump or tumble; you just go.’
For both, life has undoubtedly moved quickly. Even though they are still teenagers, the couple is aware that their competition in The World Games 2022 will be attentively watching both of them. However, Tibbling and Torhall in particular will keep their internal focus.
Torhall declared, ‘My primary adversary is my head. It’s challenging to always have the appropriate mental state. It’s challenging to think when you don’t want to. I am capable of anything when I am in a good mood.’
One of Sweden’s best athletes winning a medal at The World Games would not only prove that their efforts were valuable, but it would also accomplish something far more significant.
‘More people are training Parkour in Sweden currently, but The World Games will advance the sport and maybe more people will start to train, especially girls who will see that Parkour is for everyone,’ said Tibbling. ‘A medal would definitely make this all better.’