RIO DE JANEIRO — Bouncing in the air above the sand of Ipanema Beach, not an Olympics venue in sight, is one of the most remarkable athletes in the world who has nothing to do with the Rio Games. Her name is Giovanna Petrucci, and her acrobatics rival those of the gymnasts and divers competing across the city.
Petrucci is a world-champion slackliner, performing on a thin strap of nylon or polyester, fastened to palm trees. She does front flips and back flips and falls flat on the 5-centimeter-wide strap, her torso parallel to the gro und. The move is called “fearless,” and she was the first woman or girl to ever execute it.