A Sylvan Lake wire walker didn’t win the world title but he did accomplish the feat of a lifetime Saturday.

Bob Palmer, also known as Flyin’ Bob, crossed the Han River in Seoul, South Korea, negotiating a three-cm thick cable stretched 22 metres above the ground and water.

The one-km walk called the Extreme Highwire Walking World Championship took Palmer about 44 minutes.

The time was irrelevant, he said Wednesday. Finishing was uppermost on his mind.

He said the balance isn’t as much an issue in a long walk but endurance is vital.

The wire has a gradual slope from the start curving down to a height of 4.3 metres over the centre of the river at 500 metres.

“My shoulders were aching because in the last half you’re walking up hill with the bar which weighs about 25 pounds,” Palmer said.

Palmer has never walked above a height of seven metres since’s he an entertainer by trade making a living as a juggler, comedian, unicyclist and wire walker. He has performed all over the world.

The lone Canadian in the competition, Palmer finished 24th out of 27 walkers but earned himself a gold medal and the praise of fellow walkers.

“They’re an elite group and for a time I was in with them but now I’m back out,” he laughed.

He did however, have the chance to meet and discuss wire walking with Tino Wallenda and his daughter from the well-known circus performers Flying Wallendas.

“I picked up a few tips from them,” he added.

“I’ve had some astounding performances when entertaining but this was the greatest performance of my life in terms of skill,” he said.

The elite walkers literally run across the wire. The winner finished in just under 10 minutes to capture first place money in the $20,000 event.

There were a couple of moments when Palmer walked into trouble.

“My bar dipped a little to the side but I managed to slide it down and back in,” Palmer said.

His shoulders also started cramping near the end but with 50 metres to go he said “there’s no way I’m falling now . . . not after getting this far.” “A little rush of terror struck when my pole dipped again” but his training and savvy allowed him to make a correction.

Not a single entrant fell into either the safety net or the river. Last year about four walkers fell.

He practised in his backyard walking about six metres on a three-metre-high wire.

Palmer is also founder of the Red Deer Community Circus Camp, which conducts sessions through the spring and summer, and has performed for several years at Red Deer’s CentreFest.

Contact Jack Wilson at jwilson@reddeeradvocate.com`