In this Red Bull-sponsored video, we watch as foremost obstacle course racing (OCR) athlete Thomas Van Tonder attempts to climb a 90m rope… chasing a world record for the fastest 50m rope climb along the way.

The feat entails going up a rope suspended between twin cooling towers that are a landmark in South Africa’s Soweto.

Van Tonder started competing in OCR in 2013, and finished second in his first race. Within three years he’d turned pro. Fast forward to 2019 and – among many other wins – he had also won 17 Warrior Black Ops Elite races, and captured first place in the National Championship and Series Championships in 2016 and 2018 (he was runner up in 2017).

The athlete has also has competed in four OCR World Championships and placed in the Top 10 three times.

Clearly, Van Tonder will be dominating the OCR world for a long time to come, as he claims he is “only just getting started”.

View the original video here.

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