International King of Sports
| International King of Sports | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Sports |
| Presented by |
Helen Chamberlain Alan Parry Mark Robson |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production company(s) | Endemol |
| Release | |
| Original network | Five |
| Original release | 15 September 2002 – September 2004? |
International King of Sports was a multi-sport competition held yearly. The events were unusual sports rarely undertaken outside of this competition and were often variants of standard track and field sports.
Adam Horder (AUS) was the winner in 2002. The winner of the 2004 competition was Jamie Quarry (GBR).
There are seven heats, each made up of five of the following events. Each heat has four competitors. The winner from each heat goes through to the final, along with the highest-scoring runner-up, to give eight contestants.
The 3 metre sprint is similar to the 100 metre sprint; however, it takes place over a three-metre distance. The races last under a second and require a photo finish to determine who has won. Two false starts lead to disqualification from the event.
Contestants run downhill, taking a zigzag course through ten gates, each composed of a pair of flags on pole. They are allowed to touch the flags, but they must not be knocked down.
The course for the 2004 competition is designed with the first half of the course being steep, requiring nimbleness and technique as much as speed, while the second half allows the contestants to run faster.
Contestants wearing flippers jump into a swimming pool from a platform, the height of which is gradually raised. The aim is to land without your head going underwater. The world record is currently held by Laszlo 'The Human Dolphin' Fazekas (Hungary) and is 2.40 m.
This is a 200 m race in which the contestants run backwards. They must stay within their appointed lane.
Contestants have to fall to the floor as fast as possible from a standing position. For a fall to be valid the contestant's head must make contact with a cushioned pressure-sensitive pad on the floor. The event is run as a knockout with the slowest contestant in each round being eliminated, until one winner is left.
This event takes place on a long jump track and pit. Rather than landing feet first, contestants jump headlong; if their feet touch the sand, their effort is a no-jump. Liam Collins who jumped a world record 8.96 m. The jump itself cannot be classed as a world track and field record as the head long technique is not permitted in actual Olympic Games.
Contestants must keep both feet together and clear 10 hurdles on the 110m hurdles track.
In 2002, Kengo Shiomi (JPN) won this event in the heats, despite never having taken part in the event before.
Contestants take a short run-up to a lubricant-coated track, on which they skid. Skids only count if the contestant does not fall over.
The lubricant coating of the track was changed for the 2004 competition, from olive oil to xanthan gum. This led to the world record being broken three times in the first heat. The current record is held by Brian Clark (GB), and is around 55 metres.
...
Wikipedia