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‘Deathwish madness’: Russian daredevil performs gymnastics under hot air balloon without parachute; watch

The viral video shows Sergey Boytsov, 30, swinging on a high bar under the hot air balloon in his gymnastics jumpsuit.

Untethered, the Russian athlete performs swinging on a high bar in his gymnastics jumpsuit (Image source: @CollinRugg/Instagram)

Sergey Boytsov, 30, claims to have become the first person to perform gymnastics under a hot air balloon without safety gear. The Russian athlete said he has set a record for the world’s first gymnastic performance on a horizontal bar suspended from a hot air balloon at 1,500 metres without a parachute.

In a viral video of the feat, Boytsov is seen on a square platform under a hot air balloon. Untethered, he swings on a high bar in his gymnastics suit. Sharing the video, an X user, Collin Rugg, wrote, “Russian bodybuilder and daredevil Sergey Boytsov claims to have set a world record. Boytsov claims to have set a world record for the world’s first gymnastic turns under a balloon at an altitude of 1500 meters *without* a parachute. Boytsov says there was no “insurance,” meaning if something went wrong, he was done.”

Watch here:

NEW: Russian bodybuilder and daredevil Sergey Boytsov claims to have set a world record.

Boytsov claims to have set a world record for the world’s first gymnastic turns under a balloon at an altitude of 1500 meters *without* a parachute.

Boytsov says there was no “insurance,”… pic.twitter.com/3gAfMCGhTc

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) June 19, 2025

The video quickly gained traction, amassing over 3 million views and a wave of reactions. Many users criticised Boytsov for risking his life. “People are really desperate for attention these days,” a user reacted. “Deathwish madness,” another said. “I don’t even know how you could be harnessed in a situation like this. Twisting around the bar would probably make any kind of a harness system more risk than reward. No parachute either,” another user commented.

“A great example of physics. As the gymnast is in motion and his platform is in motion, he doesn’t need to worry about falling off the platform necessarily, unless it Ford momentum when coming off the platform exceeded the edge of the platform,” a third user chimed in.

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Meanwhile, a hot air balloon caught fire mid-air in Brazil’s Santa Catarina on Saturday, killing eight people. The balloon was carrying 21 individuals, including the pilot, and crashed into a forested area near the city of Praia Grande after catching fire.

According to the fire department, the incident occurred in the early morning hours during a tourist flight. Thirteen survivors were rescued and taken to nearby hospitals for treatment, reports said.