VIDEO. She climbs the Eiffel Tower on the rope, with the strength of her arms for 18 minutes

Un exploit réalisé par Anouk Garnier. – CAPTURE D'ECRAN.

"She did it!": French athlete Anouk Garnier broke the world record for rope climbing on Wednesday morning by climbing to second floor of the Eiffel Tower, 110 meters high.

"I really did it ?" In tears, the young woman of 34 years old finds it hard to believe his achievement, throwing himself into the arms of his family, especially his mother, "very proud".

Equipped with a lifeline, this double world obstacle course champion had launched a few moments earlier, in front of dozens of people, to attack the Eiffel Tower, the most iconic monument in Paris. His goal: to beat the previous records held by the South African Thomas Van Tonder (90 meters) and the Dane Ida Mathilde Steensgaard (26 meters).

After a little more than 18 minutes of climbing using the strength of his arms and legs on a smooth rope, compared to the 20 initially estimated, it is now done for the Frenchwoman.

"It's a dream come true. It was magical", exults Anouk Garnier to the AFP, a big smile on her lips. "S&# 39;there's one thing I never doubted, and that was that I was going to do it..

"What a monument ?"

It all started in 2022, when she won her title of double world obstacle course champion in her age category.

Looking for a new challenge, Anouk Garnier discovers that Ida Mathilde Steensgaard, professional world champion in the same sport, has just established the world record world of rope climbing while climbing the Copenhagen Opera House. A performance that inspires him. "I said to myself "It's not very long, 26 meters anyway. And me, what monument I could climb?"".

She then sets her sights on the Iron Lady, symbol of France in the world. "I didn'give up, because there were ups and downs", recalls Anouk Garnier.< em> Convincing sponsors was very complicated, she confides.Wednesday morning, arriving at the summit, "I cried", says the young woman.

"The emotion is crazy"

"It's a year of preparation, it's not just 18 minutes of ascent. There is all the pressure that falls (…) When you aim for very big things like that, it's like dreams. When it really happens, the emotion is crazy", she explains. "The worst part was when I came back down and saw my family. It was so nice to see them proud like that, continues the athlete.

"They are the ones who instilled in me this discipline of sport, to always give the best, to always aim for excellence. It’s thanks to that that I can do extraordinary things today, says the climber.

It was also for her mother, who was suffering from cancer, that she took on this challenge, which aims to collect donations for the League Against Cancer, an association which works to prevent cancer and support sick people. "I saw her struggling so much that I wanted to contribute at my level", she emphasizes. After this feat, Anouk Garnier wants to rest a little.

🏆 Un nouveau record du monde!

L'athlète Anouk Garnier a grimpé jusqu'au deuxième étage de la tour Eiffel à la corde pic.twitter.com/VAqDRI8LtJ

— BFM Paris Île-de-France (@BFMParis) April 10, 2024

A short rest, however, because his schedule is already quite busy. In addition to the obstacle races that she plans to resume after having abandoned them in recent months, she will carry the Olympic flame in Marseille on May 9, before being an ambassador for the Games volunteer program this summer. Paris 2024 Olympics (July 26 – August 11). If she doesn't want to say anything, she is also thinking about future challenges.

"I'am 34 years old, but 20 years old in my body", she assures . "I'm in great shape and I plan to stay like this for 10 years", she promises.