A heartbreaking video has captured the moment a Norwegian woman broke the world record for the highest female somersault.
Asbjørg Nesje, 25, jumped from a staggering 102 feet into Abiqua Falls in Oregon in June.
Death diving, an extreme sport that is gaining popularity online, involves divers jumping from great heights while holding a specific pose until the last possible second.
Nesje, a three-time world champion, maintained her exposed position until fractions of a second before impact.
She is also the first diver to attempt to jump from this location.
A heartbreaking video captured the moment a Norwegian woman broke the world record for the highest female somersault
Photographer Steven Donovan, who captured the stunning moment, described the intense emotions surrounding the jump.
In an Instagram video shared in July, Donovan wrote: “I’m incredibly inspired and humbled by what I was able to witness and capture the other day. @asbjorg_n made history by not only setting a record for the highest female somersault, but also being the first person to somersault at this iconic location.”
“She did it with such beauty and grace in front of a huge field of some of the best freestyle divers in the world. Standing next to Asbjorg feeling her emotions and the fear involved in this dive was very intense.”
Donovan expressed how anxious he felt watching his friend take the leap, recalling that he felt “a knot in his stomach” knowing how dangerous the stunt was.
“Even though I did everything I could to encourage her and assure her that she was more than capable of pulling off this trick, I still had a knot in my stomach knowing how dangerous this jump was and that last hug I gave my friend before she jumped could be her last.”
“Watching her emerge from that icy water, greeted by all our friends and hugging them one by one on the other side, brought tears to my eyes, having witnessed a truly groundbreaking feat in women’s sport.”
Nesje responded by thanking her followers and Donovan for the stunning shot.
“Your support at the top meant a lot to me, as did the fact that the entire community cheered me on at the base,” he said. “And thanks again for capturing it in the most epic way ever!!”
Asbjørg Nesje, 25, jumped from a staggering 102 feet into Abiqua Falls in Oregon in June.
Somersaulting, an extreme sport that is gaining popularity on the Internet, involves divers launching themselves from great heights while holding a specific pose until the last possible second.
“Death diving,” which originated in Norway in the 1970s, involves daredevils plunging into the water from platforms up to 80 feet high, often landing on their belly to generate the most clicks.
The extreme sport went viral on TikTok last year and quickly became one of the most viewed trends on the app, raising safety concerns among some users as competitors are seen jumping from enormous heights.
Nesje, who regularly racks up millions of viewers as he launches himself from enormous heights, went viral in 2023 after a video of him racked up more than 40 million views as he performed an eye-watering jump from an 80-foot platform.
The daredevil was seen plummeting for several seconds before crashing into the depths, sparking fears among some onlookers for his safety.
“Did she survive?” one commenter asked. Another said: “That looks painful…”
“Oh my God… is he okay?” asked one concerned viewer.
She is also the first female diver to attempt the jump from this spot. Photographer Steven Donovan captured the stunning footage in an Instagram video shared in July.
Fears for her safety led Nesje to later upload another video of the jump from a different angle, assuring her fans that she had “never felt more alive.”
The Scandinavian sport, called dødsing, even has its own federation, with a set of guidelines, rankings and a world championship held in August every year since 2008.
To be successful in an official Dødsing Federation competition, the judges grade the dives according to three main criteria: preparation, flight and landing.
Nesje won the 2021 and 2022 Women’s World Championships and is ranked 33rd in the world.
Prior to his recent jump, the highest somersault ever recorded was performed by Emil Lybekk in 2019.