I’m at the Bassin de l’Arsenal, near the Place de la Bastille in Paris. I did a shoot for Red Bull near here in 2024—I did a backflip from one of the quays along the Seine onto one of the barges you can see right there. It was a pretty crazy moment; the Parisians were going wild.

That was just before the Olympics—a few weeks later, I was taking part in the opening ceremony. I was one of seven masked torch bearers who carried the Olympic flame through the streets and across the rooftops of Paris in front of billions of viewers. It was one of the most defining moments of my life.

Whenever I’m in Paris, I like to go up to the rooftops, which are well known by the parkour community because they’re surprisingly easy to access. Once you’re up there, it’s magnificent—the zinc roofs reflecting the sun; the orange chimney pots.... It’s usually very flat, so not as dangerous as you’d think, and it’s also not particularly slippery, so it’s ideal for parkour. You can watch everything happening below, but nobody can see you. You feel like you’re alone in the world. 

It’s also in Paris that I made history in my sport. The world’s best parkour athletes come to the suburb of Évry to attempt the Manpower Gap, a jump between two rooftops 4.5 meters [15 feet] apart, with a 16-meter [50-foot] drop below. Four years ago, I decided to be the first woman to attempt it. I did a year of physical and mental preparation, with much soul-searching along the way. Then, on May 2, 2022, I stood at the edge of those 16 meters and launched myself into the air. I landed on the other side without injury and an absolutely insane rush of adrenaline.