The “Guinness World Records” are the definitive source of who is the best of the best. The compilation contains record-breakers putting things in their beard, riding a bicycle backward, and running a marathon with quintuplets! A new (old?) wave of world record-breakers is hitting the streets, and we are impressed! They are all senior citizens!
We can begin our praise with this 100-year-old female powerlifter. Edith Murway-Traina of Tampa, Florida, was anointed in the 2022 edition of “Guinness World Records.” Edith was a natural in the gym as a lifelong athlete when she took up weightlifting. After a brief break during the COVID outbreak, Edith returned to the gym and broke her own 2019 record! But Edith is just one of hundreds of seniors making a name for themselves in the record book.
1. Once A Gym Rat, Always A Gym Rat
Jim Arrington is the world’s oldest competing bodybuilder. At 90 years old, Jim has no plans of slowing down. He first became a record breaker at the age of 83. Now, he is an inspiration to younger gym members.
2. High-Flying Granny Ain’t Afraid Of Nothing!
Betty Goedhart took up the art of high flying on the trapeze at the ripe old age of 78. She had no clue where the journey would take her. She was recognized as a record breaker as the oldest female flying trapeze artist in 2018 at 85. Five years later, she still holds that record.
3. What Are These Old Ladies Thinking?! (Just Kidding, We Think They’re Awesome.)
There are bucket lists, and then there are BUCKET LISTS. For Australian native Irene O’Shea, skydiving was always a dream. After her 100th birthday, she made that a reality. Since becoming a world record breaker, Irene has completed a tandem jump every year. Her last recorded jump was after her 102nd birthday. We can’t find any record that Irene is still active, but she did state that if she were still alive at 105, she would be jumping again!
Irene’s record was shattered by Swedish sky-diving granny Rut Linnéa Ingegärd Larsson, who made a tandem jump at the age of 103! Although she is the current record holder, I wouldn’t count Irene out!
4. Another “Crazy” Old Lady Jumping Out Of A Perfectly Good Airplane?
Colorado resident Kim Knor is only 84, a youngster among our highlighted skydivers. But don’t let that fool you. In 1962, Kim was an inaugural member of the U.S. Women’s Parachute Team. She began jumping out of perfectly good airplanes in 1959. After her stint on the parachute team and an accident that severely injured her husband, she took a 37-year hiatus from jumping. She began plummeting to Earth again after her husband passed away in 2003. Ten years later, Kim won a place in the International Skydiving Museum and Hall of Fame. Kim has set a goal of 1,000 skydives. She will receive the prestigious United States Parachute Association Gold Wings Award if she can attain her goal.
5. Cross-Country Skiing Is A Sport For The Hearty
At the age of 88, cross-country skier Katsumi Saeki continues breaking records. In 2023 she competed in the Masters World Cup in Austria (and WON in her age group). She has consistently been a record-breaker for many years. Unfortunately, at this point, she is breaking her own records! Her next goal is to break her current record at the 2024 Masters World Cup in Finland.
6. How Many Records Can One Man Hold?
Health food store manager Ashrita Furman has set over 600 world records! As recently as March 2023, he maintained 530 records. He began his record-breaking lifestyle in 1979. He has been to seven continents and has broken records in more than 50 countries. His journey began after a 24-hour, 405-mile bicycle race in New York City in 1978. Gaining third place in the race after limited training gave him the confidence to pursue his childhood dream of being a record-breaker. His birth name was Keith, but he changed it to Ashrita for spiritual reasons. In Sanskrit, the name means “protected by God himself.”
7. 101 Skydivers (All Seniors) Break Two Records!
Skydiving seems to be a favorite activity for record-breakers. For the Skydivers Over Sixty (SOS) group, April 19 was a day to remember. The group was highlighted on “Good Morning America” for breaking two world records in skydiving. The jumpers leaped from five airplanes to create formations during free fall. All the members range in age from 60 to 80. The record breakers shattered the 1-point formation by linking 101 skydivers on April 15. They went back up the next day and completed a 2-point formation with 95 skydivers!
We hope you have enjoyed hearing about seniors breaking records. It doesn’t matter how old you get; keep chasing those dreams! Share this with friends or family that might need a boost!
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