Unbelievable Achievements: Super Seniors Shattering Records 5 Times

Oct. 16 (UPI) — From the racetracks to the open waters to high in the skies, senior citizens have been proving recently that age is no obstacle when it comes to making history or grabbing headlines in the odd news. In celebration of these adventurous seniors, here are five remarkable stories of elderly individuals who have shown that it’s never too late to break records and set new trails.

84-year-old skydiver

First on the list is an 84-year-old woman from Colorado who took her first skydiving jump in 1959. Now nearing her 600th jump, Kim Knor has no plans of stopping and aims to reach 1,000 jumps. Knor, a member of the inaugural U.S. Women’s Parachute Team in 1962, returned to skydiving after a 37-year break following her husband’s passing in 2003. Having already gone skydiving with all her children and grandchildren, she even accompanied her youngest grandson on his first skydive. Knor’s ambition is to achieve a lifetime record of 1,000 skydives, which would earn her a set of gold wings from the United States Parachute Association.

88-year-old windsurfer

Next, we move from the skies to the waters, where 88-year-old Polish windsurfer Piotr Dudek is striving to become the officially recognized oldest person practicing the sport. Dudek, who has been windsurfing since 1981, was inspired to pursue this record after discovering that the current record-holder was only 86 when he achieved the title in 2000. In order to qualify for the record, Dudek had to windsurf for three consecutive months. Known among his fellow windsurfers as “Junior” since the age of 80, Dudek has embraced his passion for the sport and aims to prove that age is just a number.

90-year-old bodybuilder

In California, a man named Jim Arrington, who was previously recognized by Guinness World Records as the world’s oldest bodybuilder in 2015, broke his own record by participating in a bodybuilding competition at the age of 90. Arrington competed in an International Federation of BodyBuilding and Fitness Professional League event in Nevada, where he placed third in the over-70 category and first in the over-80 division. Having started lifting weights at the age of 15, Arrington still dedicates approximately 2 hours three days a week to his workouts at the gym.

98-year-old motorcycle racer

Shifting gears from weightlifting to motorcycle racing, a 98-year-old man from New Zealand participated in a motorcycle race just three weeks before his 98th birthday and was recognized as the world’s oldest competitive motorcycle racer. Leslie Harris competed in the Pukekohe 43rd Classic Motorcycle Festival in Auckland, finishing in fourth place in the Regularity race, which required competitors to maintain consistent lap times. Accompanied by his son and granddaughter, Harris intends to participate in more events and plans to return for next year’s Pukekohe Classic Motorcycle Festival.

88-year-old cross-country skier

Lastly, we turn to the snowy slopes, where Japanese skier Katsumi Saeki broke her own world record at the age of 88 by participating in the cross-country skiing 2023 Masters World Cup in Austria. Saeki was already recognized as the oldest female competitive cross-country skier when she won the over-85 category at last year’s Japan Masters Championships at the age of 87. Continuing to push her limits, Saeki aims to break her own record once again at the February 2024 Masters World Cup in Finland.