Austrian daredevil Baumgartner perishes in Italy - Austrian daredevil Baumgartner meets tragic death in Italy during an extreme sporting event
In 2016, Felix Baumgartner, the Austrian daredevil who gained worldwide fame for breaking the sound barrier in freefall during a space jump, made headlines for a different reason. He nominated Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban for the Nobel Peace Prize, a move that sparked strong reactions.
Baumgartner, born in Salzburg in 1969, had a childhood dream of flying and spent his days climbing trees. As a teenager, he made his first jump, and his passion for extreme sports blossomed. After working as a mechanic and repairing motorcycles in his youth, Baumgartner's career took off, leading him to shuttle between Switzerland and the USA.
The nomination was made in the context of Baumgartner's conservative political views, although it did not explicitly mention his association with the right-wing populist FPOE in Austria. Baumgartner expressed disapproval of the fight against climate change and the rights of LGBTQ in online media. The nomination was not related to any specific event or achievement of Baumgartner at that time.
The nomination did not involve any US News Agency or APAN (APA in the text), although Baumgartner has been associated with media in the past. The nomination did not lead to Orban actually receiving the Nobel Peace Prize.
Baumgartner's space jump in 2012, from over 36 kilometers high, with a landing in the desert of New Mexico, USA, had set several records. His top speed during the jump was 1357.6 kilometers per hour. However, his life ended tragically in a paragliding accident in Italy in 2023, at the age of 56. Baumgartner crashed into the side of a hotel swimming pool in Porto Sant'Elpidio on Italy's eastern coast, with reports indicating he became ill before the crash. The focus in news coverage following his death has been primarily on the circumstances surrounding his tragic end and his legendary career as an extreme athlete.
[1] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-48343741 [2] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-austria-baumgartner-idUSKCN1M82QO [3] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/20/felix-baumgartner-dies-in-paragliding-accident-aged-56
Baumgartner's political views, conflicting with liberal causes, were featured in general-news media outlets, contrasting his earlier fame as an extreme athlete who broke the sound barrier in a space jump. Despite the nomination of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban for the Nobel Peace Prize by Baumgartner, no news agency like APA was involved in the nomination process.
