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As dhows carried fishermen across sunset-drenched seas in front of Bahrain’s ever-evolving skyline and the flags flew high in the south-easterly breeze … the human flags performed by the competitors were as solid as the rocks lining the harbour.
The island setting at the Ritz-Carlton Bahrain Hotel & Spa was the perfect backdrop to the world’s first Team Calisthenics World Cup, hosted under the patronage of Shaikh Abdulla bin Rashid Al Khalifa.
Calisthenics is a word that originated from the Greek language, roughly translated as a combination of beauty and strength which epitomises a sport that combines moves derived from gymnastics, parkour and break-dancing, with the latter providing the format for the face-off battles that occurred to music.
The three hand-selected judges from the region had an almost impossible task to determine the victors from eight squads that visited Bahrain from all over the globe.
The initial knock-out phase saw the elimination of home favourites Bahrain and the UAE and, to the surprise of many, Workout 24 from the Russian Federation, leaving the UK to do battle against the US and Spain to take on Ukraine.
However, the phrase ‘do battle’ does not do justice to the tremendous camaraderie between the individuals and their countries, with competitors regularly applauding stunning moves and cheering every effort.
It is individuals performing the human flag in ever-challenging locations and then posting the pictures on social media that has brought this street-sport into the mainstream, while bodyweight exercise is statistically the most popular trending fitness fad of 2015.
Yet, the flag is one of the most basic moves witnessed as teams aimed to impress with individuals developing new combinations. Ukrainian, Vitalyj Gummenyi, showcased his robotic interpretation, a move he invented, as he walked the flag up imaginary steps before muscling-up onto the high bar.
The Ukrainian team had clearly worked hard on their collective routine with a number of impressively-synchronised Kuki Planche push-ups although this was not enough to secure their passage to the final.
Spain, however, were the class-act with Alexandru Muntean executing a stunning back-level pull-up before completing a remarkable reverse muscle-up that had the surprisingly large crowd aghast.
Yet, the Unlimited Strength Crew from Spain had saved the best until last with Sam Gallent, who by now had become a firm crowd favourite, producing a staggering performance consisting of Maltese pull-ups and tigerbend push-ups that had the judges, including the managing director of the World Calisthenics Organisation (WCO), Tarryn Hoffman, awarding a perfect score.
Spain’s total of 47.16 from a possible maximum of 50 gave them a comfortable victory over the Barsparta team from the UK who scored 42.56.
In the bronze medal match Team Cali from the US edged out Ukraine by just over a point, the latter looking a little jaded following their efforts in the later semi-final.
The Unlimited Strength crew goes home with their purchasing power enhanced to the tune of $10,000 with second and third places being awarded $6,000 and $4,000 respectively.
As a sport calisthenics lacks the dynamics and precision of gymnastics although the most eye-catching performances showcase an array of outrageous poses that demonstrate the strength capabilities of the human body.
Pundits confidently predict that this sport will evolve with these elements being added as these competitors seek to introduce new moves that add to the wow-factor. Social media will help although this new Bahraini-invention, the team World Cup, has already raised the bar.
