By Anjali Nayak
On April 12, 2024, Frenchwoman Anouk Garnier set the world-record for rope climbing when she climbed to the second floor of the Eiffel Tower via a free hanging rope. Garnier climbed 360 feet in 18 minutes, allowing her to climb up through the center of the Eiffel Tower into the iron bosom of its second floor. The arms of a normal person scream with lactic acid burn from just watching.
“My dream has come true. It’s magical,” the 34-year-old climber told The Guardian after her feat. “If there’s one thing I never doubted, it was that I was going to do it.”
She mentioned the “many ups and downs” in achieving her record: the weather, time restraints, and overall cost. However, the “satisfaction and joy I derive from it today are all greater” than any possible setback. Specifically, Garnier wanted to point out the endless support from her friends and family—the best part of the entire journey was watching them cheer as she got closer and closer to the ground. “It was so beautiful to see them so proud. They’re the ones who instilled in me this discipline of sport, of always giving your best, of always striving for excellence. It’s thanks to them that I’m able to do extraordinary things today.”
Her attempt was in the name of raising money for cancer research through the organization League Against Cancer and Prevention after her mother was diagnosed with the disease. When asked about the cause, she quipped, “I had to do my bit!” The previous world record was held by the Danish athlete Ida Mathilde Steensgaard, who climbed 85 feet at the Copenhagen Opera House in 2022. Garnier mentioned to The Guardian that it was Steensgaard’s climb that inspired her to attempt her record.
“I said to myself, 26 meters isn’t that far; what monument could I climb?”
Garnier, who is an obstacle course racer, told reporters that she hopes to continue her career for at least 10 years. She won the international obstacle course championship for her age category in 2022, the same year she decided to tackle Steensgaard’s 26 meter record. The French government also invited Garnier to carry the Olympic torch in Marseille in May for the upcoming Summer Olympics.