No one will ever climb a 20-foot rope faster than Don Perry’s world record of 2.8 seconds in competition.
This feat, in an event that is no longer a part of gymnastics competition, was a hallmark of a remarkable career in which Perry dominated the rope climb. A four-time National AAU Champion, two-time NCAA Champion, and a world-record-setting performance at the 1955 Pan American Games that followed a three-day battle with flu-like symptoms helped make Perry one of the greatest of all time in his event. By his career’s end, Perry had an unofficial 95-0 record.
