Brody Roybal, a two-time Paralympic gold medalist and the PyeongChang hockey tournament MVP, climbed Willis Tower’s 2,149 stairs using his upper body, arms and hands on Sunday.
Roybal, born without femurs, scaled the 1,400-foot building in 71 minutes as part of the 10th SkyRise Chicago, the world’s tallest indoor stair-climbing event.
“I like to prove to myself that I can do things that able-bodied people do,” Roybal, who debuted at the Paralympics at age 15 in 2014, said before the climb. “I think this is going to be the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”
The fastest able-bodied entrant ascended the former Sears Tower in 17 minutes, 6 seconds.
“I just want to eat and take a long nap,” Roybal said after, his knuckle skin shriveled like chalky prunes.
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