TOP CLICKS: The week that was in viral stories

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The Toronto Sun takes you straight to the heart of the action.

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Whether it’s local news, provincial and national politics, or the worlds of celebrity and sports, we have you covered.

Some stories set the world on fire. And these ones are the most popular online stories from the past seven days, clicked on by Sun readers like you.

Here are our top stories:

Star gymnast plunges to death while ‘taking a selfie’ with German castle

A star Czech gymnast fell to her death while hiking near a castle in Germany.

Natalie Stichova was declared dead six days after she fell down Tegelberg Mountain in the state of Bavaria on Aug. 15.

The 23-year-old was trying to take a selfie near Neuschwanstein castle, the inspiration for Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty, when the horrific incident took place, Dan Bilicki reported.

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A friend told Czech media that Stichova had been standing close to the edge of the mountain when one of her legs slipped off as she set up the shot.

The hike in that area was described as a “challenging climb” by German police.

The gymnast was with two friends and her boyfriend at the time of the incident.

U.S. Olympic hero strips down for SI Swimsuit shoot with her medal

After going viral before the Olympics, when a troll commented on her body mass index, then winning a bronze medal with the U.S. rugby team, Ilona Maher has wowed fans once again as she becomes Sports Illustrated latest swimsuit model.

Wearing a one-strap string bikini, SI Swimsuit described the rugby star as “breaking the stereotype of what it means to be a female athlete,” Bilicki noted.

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“I was always like, you know, called masculine or whatever. But I never felt that way,” Maher told SI.

“But I don’t think you’re going to bully the girl who could probably beat you up in a rage,” she continued.

“I love that (rugby) showed me what I can do. It showed me how capable my body is and it’s not just like a tool to be looked at and objectified.”

WARMINGTON: Couple left ‘stunned’ after legally registered car seized by cops

A couple was shocked to learn that their beloved classic car was reported stolen.

Mona and Wayne Evoy were in their home in rural Napanee when the OPP came up their driveway with a flatbed truck and took their 1934 Ford Coupe replica.

The couple told Joe Warmington that the cops “said they were confiscating it” because it had allegedly been stolen years earlier.

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The car’s lawful owner is Larry Grogan, the owner of a London, Ont.-area company that had reported many vehicles stolen — including the car the Evoys called theirs for three years.

Grogan’s lawyers is now preparing a statement to address the concerns of the many victims, but the Evoys want to warn the public that “this could happen to anybody” — even if you do everything by the book.

WARMINGTON: Classic car owner latest to have legally registered vehicle seized

Just like the Evoys above, a Toronto man who now lives in Prince Edward County learned the hard way that his 1960 Buick LeSabre was stolen when he bought it to two years prior — even though he did his research on it at the time of purchase and it came back clean.

Sam Grosso told Warmington that when OPP officers came to haul away the classic car on a flatbed truck, he was “advised to co-operate or I could be charged with obstruction.”

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While Grosso doesn’t blame law enforcement given that it’s apparent an alleged crime ring is at play, he wonders how people like himself and the Evoys can register their cars, pay taxes, fees and insurance and then have to hand over the keys years later because of alleged criminal activity.

“It doesn’t seem right.”

LILLEY: Jagmeet Singh’s NDP lose all credibility backing Trudeau

This week, Jagmeet Singh called Justin Trudeau “cowardly” over his position on the railway work stoppage.

Last week, Singh was saying life for Canadians under Trudeau has gotten much worse.

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NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he’s fed up with the Liberals because the Trudeau cabinet decided to send the lockout/strike affecting the country’s two major railways to binding arbitration, and he would have preferred the work stoppage be settled at the bargaining table.

But that’s pretty big talk from the man many consider responsible for imposing the unpopular Trudeau government on Canadians.

Singh has been complaining about Trudeau’s Liberal government for more than a year, warning how bad the government is for Canada — yet he continues to support him, Brian Lilley writes.

It’s one of the reasons the NDP under Singh have lost all credibility and are struggling in the polls despite the Liberal collapse.

Check out our sports section for the latest news and analysis.

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