Estonian Slackliner Jaan Roose Sets Record by Crossing Strait of Messina on 3.6km Tightrope

In a historic feat, Estonian slackline athlete Jaan Roose made headlines by becoming the first person to walk across Italy's Strait of Messina, a distance of 3.6 kilometers. Using a record-breaking slackline measuring 3,646 meters, Roose embarked on the treacherous journey, surpassing the existing Guinness World Record distance of 2,710 meters. Despite completing the walk in just under three hours, a fall in the final 80 meters prevented him from officially setting a new world record. Starting from a 870-foot tower on Santa Trada, Roose covered a distance longer than 30 football fields on a webbed fabric only 0.75 inches wide. The ambitious endeavor required him to ascend 130 meters in elevation to reach the endpoint on Sicily's Torre Faro tower, where he arrived 2 hours and 57 minutes after commencing the mission. Unfortunately, the slip off the line just 262 feet from the finish dashed his hopes of claiming a remarkable world record. The Strait of Messina has long been a point of contention for Sicilians, who have yearned for a bridge connecting the island to the Italian mainland. Plans for a bridge have been approved by the Italian government, with construction set to commence in 2024. The bridge, estimated to cost €11.6 billion, will be the longest suspension bridge globally, spanning 3,600 meters and designed to withstand seismic activity and extreme weather conditions. Despite Roose's valiant attempt and the anticipation surrounding the construction of the bridge, the dream of a physical connection between Sicily and mainland Italy remains a work in progress. As the world watches Roose's daring feat and the future development of the bridge project, the significance of these endeavors in bridging physical and symbolic divides cannot be understated.