Parkour passport: Freerunning with Jason Paul from Mumbai, India to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Jason Paul’s love affair with freerunning began in 2005 when his best friend introduced him to the sport via a parkour documentary. From that day forward, the young German’s world was transfigured – rooftops became pathways, staircases became launchpads, and walls welcomed backflips.

[fusion_title size=”4″]GLOBETROTTING FREERUNNER[/fusion_title]

A post shared by Jason Paul (@thejasonpaul) on Feb 13, 2017 at 9:21am PST

These days, Paul, sponsored by Red Bull and Go Pro, travels the world, turning disparate urban spaces into freerunning playgrounds. Even catching a flight for the next destination presents another opportunity for play.

Tag along as we follow Paul on a couple globetrotting stops, starting in India, then heading to Malaysia…

[fusion_title size=”4″]FREERUNNING IN INDIA[/fusion_title]

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In 2012, Paul made his first trip to India where he spent time stunting on the beach before heading to a massive 3-story freerunning gym constructed in the apartment of Bollywood’s biggest action star, Akshay Kumar.

Kumar’s own parkour skills, albeit with some obvious stunt double scenes, can be enjoyed in the above clip from the 2013 film Boss, in which he plays a gymnastically-inclined gangster tasked with wiping out his family’s enemies.

[fusion_title size=”4″]FREERUNNING IN MALAYSIA[/fusion_title]

[fusion_map address=”Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia” type=”roadmap” map_style=”default” overlay_color=”” infobox=”default” infobox_background_color=”” infobox_text_color=”” infobox_content=”” icon=”” width=”100%” height=”200px” zoom=”5″ scrollwheel=”yes” scale=”yes” zoom_pancontrol=”yes” popup=”yes” animation=”yes” class=”” id=””][/fusion_map]

In 2015, Paul was hosted in Malaysia by fellow freerunners Abudi and Aliff, who provided their guest with a tour of their hometown, Kuala Lumpur.

A post shared by Jason Paul (@thejasonpaul) on Feb 1, 2015 at 5:45am PST

Paul’s dream to ride an ostrich was dashed when he learned he was “too big boned”, but he had plenty of parkour opportunities to keep himself occupied.