Dutch canal vaulting competition keeps centuries old tradition alive

POLSBROEKERDAM, The Netherlands (Reuters) - Contestants from all over the Netherlands gathered in the central village of Polsbroekerdam on Saturday for the yearly national 'fierljeppen' or canal vaulting contest.

Over 2,000 people gathered to watch 48 competitors across five categories battle it out for the championship where contestants have to vault the greatest distance across the water using a pole.

"Fierljeppen is a really extreme sport," organiser Danny Baas told Reuters.

Contestants run at a long pole on one side of a canal, jump in and while the pole is tipping over to the other side they climb in as high as they can, to land as far as possible on the opposite bank.

"There are so many elements to it where it could go wrong, which makes getting an optimal jump really difficult," 23-year-old competitor Lucas van Eijk said.

The name 'fierljeppen' comes from the Frisian language and originally meant 'graceful jumping', according to the Dutch Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage.

In the Netherlands, where much of the agricultural land is reclaimed from the water, pastures are often divided by canals. Farmers used a vaulting pole to avoid walking long distances to crossing points before cars and bicycles became common place in the early 20th century.

Over time, competitions were set up, with the first officially recorded match taking place in 1767. There are now some 600 'fierljeppers' active in the Netherlands across a handful of organisations.

(Reporting by Bart Biesemans, writing by Stephanie van den Berg, editing by Christina Fincher)