A couple of years ago, Malaysians were left astounded by the news of a Russian couple – Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus climbing to the top of Merdeka 118, which is now known as the second-tallest building in the world. Angela even documented her ascent and how she managed to bypass security.
Apart from their jobs as extreme content creators, we hardly know about their personal lives or what they did before they pursued this career of roof-topping. So here are some interesting facts about the thrill-seeking couple:
1. They released a documentary titled “Skywalkers: A Love Story” on Netflix
If you’re known for doing extraordinary things, you can bet Netflix would be ringing your doorbell for a deal. “Skywalkers: A Love Story” first premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival back in January and was released globally on Netflix over the weekend. The documentary follows Angela and Ivan’s love for each other and the challenges they face during their roof-topping adventures. The project received mixed to positive reviews from critics.
2. Merdeka 118 was featured in their latest documentary
One of the highlights of their “Skywalkers: A Love Story” documentary is their climb to the top of Merdeka 118 tower. Angela once said that the skyscraper was one of the most difficult ones she’s ever climbed and was not sure if she would ever attempt it again so it’s no surprise that it was featured in the documentary.
Previously, only Angela shared her side of the story of how she made her ascend to the tower alone but we’ve yet to hear on how she and her boyfriend made their way to the top together so perhaps this documentary will show us how they made it possible.
3. Ivan’s parents disapprove of his roof-topping career
In the documentary, it was revealed that Ivan’s parents were against him pursuing an extremely dangerous career and even begged him to get a stable job – understandably so. His parents explained that they do not understand his sheer lack of fear when it comes to climbing the world’s tallest skyscrapers. Unfortunately, their efforts to stop their thrill-seeking son, who was also very active in sports growing up, were in vain as he had made up his mind at 17 years old to pursue this path.
4. Angela came from a family of circus performers
Angela, being a thrill-seeker, started when she was very young as she grew up with parents who were trapeze artists at a circus. The content creator took up rhythmic gymnastics when she was growing up, which later proved to be an advantage for her roof-topping conquests as she needed to be fit, agile and flexible.
5. The couple met and fell in love in Hong Kong
Both Angela and Ivan discovered roof-topping in their teens; Angela when she discovered a staircase leading up to a rooftop and Ivan when he was exploring tall buildings in his hometown. Both followed each other on Instagram but never actually met until their collab in Hong Kong. According to The Guardian, Ivan invited Angela on the trip and it was love at first climb.
“Sparks were flying but we didn’t admit it to each other. When we went to Hong Kong together, there was a typhoon warning, but we decided to venture out, and Ivan showed me some rooftops. When we climbed up there, he took my hand and I knew,” she said in the interview.
Watch the trailer for their documentary “Skywalkers: A Love Story” below:
Sources: Netflix, TheGuardian, BBC
