Freerunning jumps on to world stage

The first international freerunning competition takes place at the Roundhouse in Camden tonight.

More than 2,000 spectators are expected to watch 24 competitors from 17 countries show off their acrobatic skills as they tackle a specially designed indoor course.

The sport, also known as parkour, began in Paris in the mid-Eighties. It involves courage, fitness and originality as athletes navigate the urban environment with spectacular sequences of jumps, flips, spins, "cat leaps" and "kong vaults".

The freerunners will perform to their own soundtrack and be judged by their peers on skill, technical ability and creativity. Among the challengers for the title Barclaycard World Freerun Champion are British hopes Pip Andersen, of Somerset, and Tim Shieff, of Derby. They will be up against freerunners from as far as Brazil, South Africa, the United States and New Zealand. One of the night's organisers Paul Corkery, 32, known as Ez, said: "We've built a 26ft pyramid with three levels, railings and vault boxes inside the Roundhouse.

"It looks amazing and allows the freerunners to perform a variety of techniques. If we held the event outside we'd have to search very hard to find a place where you can do everything together." Dan Mathieson, head of sponsorship at Barclaycard, said: "Freerunning is an amazing sport, some of the moves are breathtaking."