Overview
- Thomas van Tonder completed the hand‑over‑hand crossing under South Africa’s Bloukrans Bridge on Monday, October 26, finishing the roughly 280‑metre course in about 50 minutes as the first person to do so.
- The suspended course consisted of more than 600 grip bars aligned along the bridge arch at about 216–218 metres above the Bloukrans River and required an ascent, a flat apex traverse, and a controlled descent.
- Organizers say the installation avoided drilling or bolting into the bridge by mounting a separate framework and that van Tonder remained secured by safety systems throughout the attempt to preserve both athlete safety and the structure.
- The event was livestreamed in partnership with Red Bull and BILD, organizers reported a Guinness World Records entry after the finish, and formal verification procedures are expected to follow.
- Van Tonder’s completion builds on his OCR world‑title and prior Guinness record for a rope climb, caps several years of planning for the challenge, and may shape how future high‑visibility athletic stunts are designed to protect historic infrastructure.