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The Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, was the scene of a successful, nerve-shattering bid for the Highest BASE jump from a building world record earlier this month.

The attempt saw veteran French jumpers Fred Fugen and Vince Reffet leap off a 3 X 1 meter platform at the very top of the 828 meters tall building to earn their place in history.

Organised by Skydive Dubai, a leader in extreme skydiving, alongside the Emirates Aero Sports Federation, the record bid aimed to raise awareness of Dubai City being one of the world’s premier skydiving locations.

The successful attempt garnered worldwide press attention, with articles appearing in the Washington Post, Daily Mail, New York Daily News and The National, alongside widespread TV coverage which included BBC News and CNN.

The historic jump also proved hugely popular on social media, with footage of the jump recording over 5million views at the time of this article being published.

In preparation for the attempt, Fred and Vince underwent a week of rigorous training in Switzerland by base jumping off Lauterbeunnen Mountain – a peak that is almost the same height as the Burj Khalifa.

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The pair continued their conditioning with a series of base jumps from helicopters in Dubai to ensure they were ready for the leap off of the world’s tallest building.

The jump was only possible with the construction of the tiny platform at the very top of the pinnacle, the construction of which was an immense task in itself.

The structure took a total of three days for installation with challenges faced due to weather constrictions reducing the time available for construction.

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Speaking after the record breaking leap, Fred said: “This was the jump of a lifetime and an achievement of three years of hard training. I am glad we landed successfully, accomplishing a lifelong dream.”

“This was my best jump by far. It was a dream come true.” added Vince.

The leap marked the second time in a month that Skydive Dubai have helped set a world record, following Ernesto Gainza’s successful attempt at the title for smallest parachute jump.

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