We tend to have fewer new experiences as we get older, but 103-year-old Rut Larsson isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
During her 90s, she tried out paragliding and ballooning. Then, when she was 101 years old, she did her first parachute jump. In that same year, Kathryn Hodges became the oldest person to complete a jump at 103 years old. When Rut found out, she immediately set her sights on breaking her record one day… and so she did!
“There was an American woman who beat the record so I had to beat hers,” Rut said.
Rut gathered her family, friends, and a Guinness Book of Records judge on an airfield in Motala, Sweden for the monumental moment. If she was nervous at all, it certainly didn’t show!
“It was wonderful to do this,” she said. “I’ve been thinking about it for a long time. Nowadays I don’t see so well, but it felt good.”
Rut, who was 103 years and 259 days old at the time of her jump, officially beat the record which was previously held at 103 years and 181 days. To celebrate, she was immediately given a Guinness Book of Records certificate proving her status – and she was happy to sit and pose for all the press who showed up for the special occasion.
To cap off this unforgettable day, she said she “may have a little cake” to celebrate her accomplishment… and we think she certainly deserves it!
Watch the young-at-heart Rut parachute jump her way to a new record below, and don’t forget to share.
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