Durand Cup: Army veterans' 'heart-pounding' leap from 65 floors will leave you stunned

The 132nd edition of the Durand Cup reached its final base as India's Mecca of Football witnessed the Flag-in ceremony on Tuesday. Group Captain Kamal Singh Oberh (Retd) and Lt. Col. Satyendra Verma (Retd) jumped from the roof of The 42 in Chowringhee, the tallest building in Kolkata, at the Durand Cup Flag-in ceremony. The retired soldiers performed the stunt which is a part of Durand Cup's promotional campaign. The iconic tournament is returning in a fresh manner this year as 24 teams are set to participate in Asia's oldest tournament.

3 things you need to know

• This is Durand Cup's 132nd edition 
• Bengaluru FC defeated Mumbai City FC 2-1 in the Durand Cup final
• Teams from I-League and ISL will participate in the tournament

Kolkata witnessed first of a kind BASE jump at Durand Cup event

The 42 offers a superior view of the Kolkata Maidan which houses all the big clubs in Kolkata including the likes of East Bengal and Mohun Bagan Super Giant.

Also Read: Know all about Durand Cup 'Flag-In' ceremony that will be held in Kolkata

The jump happened from the 65th floor of the 42 which happens to be the tallest building in Eastern India. Both the jumpers landed perfectly on the ground with the help of a parachute as they pulled off the stunt with sheer ease. Despite harsh weather which delayed the jump by several hours, the Army veterans defied the odds to complete the task as the gathering crowd were mesmerized by the experience. 

This particular jump is called BASE Jumping which is pretty popular among all the adventure sports across the world. The only difference between skydiving and base jumping is that base jumping is performed from a fixed structure and has less distance to the ground.

Durand Cup will serve as a pre-season stage for teams

After a nationwide 14-city tour, which included some of the most prominent and picturesque Army and Tri-Services bases as well as the home of the defending champions Bengaluru FC and the two other host cities of Guwahati and Kokrajhar, the three magnificent Durand Cup trophies will finally “Flag-In” to Kolkata on July 25, 2023.

Also Read: Durand Cup fixtures revealed, iconic Kolkata Derby to take place on 12th August

The Durand Cup trophy tour went to Shillong and Kokrajhar, before making its way to its final base, Kolkata. The auspicious tournament will start on 3rd August with the final set to be scheduled to be held on 3rd September.