At age 21, climber Tommy Caldwell pushed his kidnapper off a cliff. Here's what he learned from the experience.

At age 21, climber Tommy Caldwell pushed his kidnapper off a cliff. Here’s what he learned from the experience.

In “The Devil’s Climb,” a National Geographic documentary, famed rock climbers Tommy Caldwell and Alex Honnold (“Free Solo”) break a world record by climbing a treacherous Alaskan mountain in under 12 hours. At one point in the film, Caldwell talked about how dealing with past adversity helped him persevere through an Achilles injury. One incident in particular came to mind: the time he and three other climbers were kidnapped in Kyrgyzstan and h…

At age 21, climber Tommy Caldwell pushed his kidnapper off a cliff. Here's what he learned from the experience.

Tommy Caldwell in "The Devil's Climb; Caldwell after he was rescued from Kyrgyzstan in 2000.National Geographic/Taylor Shaffer; photo courtesy of "The Devil's Climb"/Greg ChildIn 2000, Tommy Caldwell and three other climbers were kidnapped in Kyrgyzstan.They escaped after Caldwell pushed a guard off a cliff.Caldwell said that his long climbing career prepared him for high-stress situations.In "The Devil's Climb," a National Geographic documentar…

At age 21, climber Tommy Caldwell pushed his kidnapper off a cliff. Here's what he learned from the experience

Tommy Caldwell in "The Devil's Climb; Caldwell after he was rescued from Kyrgyzstan in 2000. National Geographic/Taylor Shaffer; photo courtesy of "The Devil's Climb"/Greg Child In 2000, Tommy Caldwell and three other climbers were kidnapped in Kyrgyzstan. They escaped after Caldwell pushed a…