Think parkour is only for the young?
A 62-year-old Singaporean woman is proving otherwise, after a video of her executing a parkour sequence went viral on Instagram recently.
In a video posted by Movement Singapore on Jan 31, the woman, who goes by the name Sing, can be seen effortlessly scaling obstacles in a playground in Toa Payoh.
The clip quickly drew attention from netizens, with many saying they were impressed by her agility and technique, given her age. Several were also inspired by Sing’s feat.
“So inspiring!” a commenter wrote.
Said another: “I’m not even 40 yet, but with my current body condition, I’m not sure if I could do that. It’s a strong motivation for me to get in better shape.”
As of the time of writing, the post has garnered over 220,000 likes and 7,000 comments.
Sing is one of the seniors participating in Movement Singapore, a specialised fitness provider that offers parkour classes for those aged 50 to 70.
In addition to taking parkour classes, the 62-year-old also teaches lindy hop — a type of swing dance — at a local dance school.
“She is a lindy hop dance master, a great example of someone who has kept herself physically and mentally active her whole adult life, and therefore easily excelled in parkour after picking it up a few years ago,” Movement Singapore wrote.
Parkour is a non-competitive sport involving running, climbing and jumping to get from one point to another. It also involves overcoming physical obstacles in the path, according to Superfly, a parkour academy in Singapore.
While it has been popular with youths here for many years, senior citizens have also joined in on the sport as a way to hone their mobility and prevent falls.
Several local fitness providers have also come up with classes catered to this age group.
In an interview with AsiaOne last year, Tan Shie Boon, founder of Movement Singapore, shared that he started teaching seniors parkour after an encounter eight years ago.
He was having supper with his young students when an “old lady” approached him for a casual chat about his profession. She expressed interest in the sport and subsequently revealed that she suffered frequent falls. This prompted Shie Boon to start teaching her parkour.
“I met her the next morning and started teaching her for about two months, twice a week. Her strength improved, and her balancing issues got better,” said Shie Boon.
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