London Mayor Boris Johnson was left dangling in the air when he got stranded on a flying fox while trying to make a dramatic entry to an Olympic party in a park in London.
In his trademark black suit and shoes, helmeted and holding two Union Jack flags in the drizzle, the portly Johnson shouted for help after his harness got into a tangle in Victoria Park on Wednesday.
The mayor eventually returned to earth, unharmed. Onlookers said he was left hanging for several minutes, before officials pulled him the rest of the way.
Later on LBC, a London radio station, Mr Johnson described himself as "the Yuri Gagarin of the zipwire", in reference to the Soviet cosmonaut who was the first person to venture into outer space.
The ABC reports Mr Johnson is no stranger to public clangers - he fell into a river in 2009 while launching a volunteering campaign.
Said Prime Minister David Cameron of the latest incident:
''If any other politician anywhere in the world was stuck on a zipwire, it would be a disaster. For Boris, it's an absolute triumph.''
