Dion de Breuer in the top eight at the Ballon World Cup in Spain

Lochem – Lokimer Dion de Breuer (26) of Lochem was stranded last week in the World Cup Balloon Quarterfinals in Tarragona, Spain. This means that he can count himself among the top 8 players in the world. Incidentally, he lost to the subsequent winner, a Spaniard who had the audience, but also the referee and VAR, in his hand. Essential Question: How did Ashterhooker end up in the World Cup for a hitherto unknown young sport?

asked his friend, Ruurloër-born Daniel Leibniz. He’s the DJ on Salam Radio! and participate in the Twitch broadcasting service. This service aired the World Cup and Leibniz provided Dutch commentary. He felt that there had to be a Dutch contribution and that Dion was athletic enough to compete with the rest of the world.

influential

De Lochemer has been a full-time influencer for 6 years. His YouTube channel has more than half a million followers. This mainly pertains to the game Fortnite. It also releases news about Formula 1 in particular to the GPfans.com online platform. For this it can be found regularly in a studio in Doetinchem. Dion is about two meters tall and keeps fit by playing judo at Nippon Judo Achterhoek, with a branch in Lochem, among others.

You could call them “balloon hanging” games. But this actually falls short of an amazing sport, which requires great athletic ability. It takes place in a glass cage where there are all kinds of obstructions. In fact, the living room has been redesigned, with sofa, parlor table, table lamp, dining area and other furniture.

two athletes

In that arena, two athletes who have to hold a balloon are released. The trick is to make it difficult for the opponent by trying to get the balloon out of their reach. This often results in diving over said furniture. If the balloon hits the ground, it scores a point. Two minutes of playing time. It doesn’t sound like much, but the participants were then “knocked down”. Time stops regularly because judging is taken seriously. The judgment is supported by VAR who can review the images.

There is often debate about whether the balloon touched the ground or whether the player touched the balloon twice. The other rules are that you are not allowed to hit or touch the balloon on any part of the body other than the hands. Moreover, the hammered balloon, in an upward motion, must be at a height of at least 1 meter above the ground. The latter is often discussed in particular.

golden balloon

If the battle continues undecided after two minutes, the “golden balloon” is deployed. If it falls to the ground, the winner is announced. Not unimportant: at this point the balloon should not be touched with the hands and forearms. Then comes the turn of the head, shoulders and legs.

The World Cup was held for the second time. It is an initiative of FC Barcelona player Gerard Pique and a Spanish influencer with 1.5 million followers. The sport has grown rapidly, particularly in the Spanish-speaking countries of Europe and South America. Thus, the World Cup stream with Spanish commentary was watched live by 200,000 people. There were participants from Turkey and Peru, among others.

innocuous

The Peruvian, who became champion last year, was taken to hospital this time during his first match. “He hit the head of the table hard,” says Dion. “The game is not without danger, specifically because of the obstacles in space. The only protection we wear is a helmet.” In the eighth finals he put aside a Turkish wardrobe. This contender is a rower and won the Turkish version of Expedition Robinson.

Dion de Breuer is very pleased with the organization. All expenses, including flight and accommodation costs, have been reimbursed. The participants stayed in a good hotel in the Port Avonto theme park. “We had a great time together. I made new friends there. We even had priority access to the attractions of the park.” By the way, he only immediately found out that he was allowed to bring a coach and more people.

Fitness Trainer

He could imagine participating again if given the opportunity. “But now I am also able to train others. In the Netherlands there are no other people with experience. Perhaps he will come from national competitions if there is an interest in that.”

A comprehensive report on the World Cup, including a commentary from Dion himself, can be found on YouTube. Search for “Very Wanted” to find it. This is the name of Dion De Breuer’s video channel.

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