Red Bull Bridge Bars: South African obstacle course racing world champion completes world-first crossing of more than 280 metres, 216 metres above the river, in 47 minutes and 37 seconds.

GQEBERHA, South Africa, Oct. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Red Bull athlete Thomas van Tonder (South Africa) completed a world-first crossing beneath the Bloukrans Bridge arch on 600 suspended monkey bars as part of Red Bull Bridge Bars. The obstacle course racing world champion finished the purpose-built course, which spans more than 280 metres, in 47 minutes and 37 seconds.

The Bloukrans Bridge, 216 metres above the river, links South Africa's Western Cape and Eastern Cape provinces on the N2. Red Bull Bridge Bars followed the bridge arch through a 45-degree ascent, a short flat section near the crown and a controlled descent. Van Tonder crossed the course in one continuous attempt and became the first person to complete it.

Nothing could be bolted or drilled into the bridge. Richard Lievaart, Head of Rigging and Safety Director at Vertical Safety Systems, and his team built the course with two independent points of safety and no permanent fixings.

"I have finished what I started. I set the big, crazy goal, and we actually get it done," said Van Tonder.

The crossing tested sustained grip strength and endurance across three phases: the ascent, the crown and a descent on which gravity increased his speed between bars. Red Bull Bridge Bars was designed to test Van Tonder outside the conventional obstacle course racing competition environment.

Van Tonder, a Guinness World Record holder, became OCR World Champion over 100 metres in 2019 and won the inaugural Red Bull Rancher Strong in 2025. The Red Bull-supported athlete's crossing of Bloukrans Bridge is available as a replay on Red Bull TV.

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