Behold! Competitive Rabbit Jumping...

May I introduce to you one of the most greatest things I have ever seen: Kaninhop!

It is poetry in motion.

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Kaninhop is a really real thing that’s very popular in Scandinavia, where it started in the late 1970’s. According to the The Swedish Federation of Rabbit Jumping (yep) there are upwards of a 1000 members scattered throughout parts of Europe, and more are joining every year to engage in the tough competition.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records the record high jump was set by one Mimrelunds Tösen of Denmark on June 28th, 1997. The height? 39.2 inches.

Just look at that focus. That is a winner.

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The organization stipulates a carefully selected series of obstacles designed to test the agility and prowess of the athlete. There are several different classes of ability, ranging from easy to champion level. Officially, the competitor with the fewest amounts of "faults," or contacts wins the run. There are of course regulations for the athletes themselves, which include the barring of pregnant rabbits and those under 4 months. Sorry youngins', maybe next year.

Train to fight.

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Similar to American Ninja Warrior, these amazing athletes begin their careers in humble training facilities dedicated to weeding out the weak from the strong. The focus is on developing the conditioning and focus required to be ultra competitive. It is not always enjoyable or for the meek, but their coaching staff know how to keep up the motivation needed to succeed.

Train to win.

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After a long and rigorous program of increasingly difficult training, the best of the best are selected to represent their team at the very top. For those select few this is an enormous honor and one that is never taken lightly. It's a chance to go paw to paw, to truly be put to the ultimate hopping test.

And what do we say to Gravity? NOT TODAY!

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12 months for the high jump. The hardest class has a maximum jump height of 50 cm (just under 20 inches!) Note the addition of a treacherous water obstacle in addition to the seemingly insurmountable wall.

Such leap. Much air.

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*WHOOOOOOOSH!*

An outstanding example of a perfect run.

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Pay close attention to the impeccable form and agility. Note the perfect execution of the "resting chin" victory pose. Excellent showmanship.

This heavyweight truly has the Eye of the Tiger.

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It's really quite intimidating, to tell you the truth.

Sometimes though, errors are unavoidable.

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Even the best training can't stop fate.

No one said it would be easy.

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You wanna blaze a trail of glory? Sometimes you have to fight through fire.

Sometimes, your body says "no more."

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We've all been there. You're ready, you're prepared, you shoot off...and you hit a brick wall. It happens.

And no one is immune to the agony of defeat.

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It's heartbreaking to suffer a loss in the presence of your fellow competitors, but as Rocky once said "But it ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward; how much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!"

But you get back up.

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You get back up and you fight, you snatch the reins away from the other guy because they don't want it as bad! The day belongs to YOU. That plastic Giraffe obstacle can't hold you down! Break through the wall and show the world what you came here to do!

Fly, bunny, fly!

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Take flight and soar, you amazing animal!

And in the end? We all win. Because rabbits.

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