‘It’s nothing to be afraid of’: 104-year-old Chicago woman skydives to possible Guinness record

Ms Dorothy Hoffner uses a walker to help her get around, but that did not stop the 104-year-old American from leaping out of a plane.

The centenarian could be the oldest person to accomplish such a feat, and the Chicago company that organised the tandem jump is working with the Guinness Book of World Records to have her achievement certified, according to US media.

The current Guinness World Record for oldest skydiver was set by Sweden’s 103-year-old Linnea Ingegard Larsson in May 2022.

On Sunday, Ms Hoffner jumped from a plane roughly 4,100m off the ground at Skydive Chicago in Ottawa, Illinois.

She was reported to be calm and unfazed before she jumped, diving head-first and even managing a forward roll in the sky.

The free-fall lasted seven minutes.

In a Facebook video posted by Skydive Chicago, Ms Hoffner can be seen clinging onto her harness and laughing during her descent onto a grass field to applause and cheers.

“Age is just a number,” she told the Chicago Tribune.

“It was wonderful up there. The whole thing was delightful, wonderful, couldn’t have been better.”

Ms Hoffner, who began skydiving at 100 years old, said she would like to ride in a hot-air balloon next.

“Skydiving is a wonderful experience, and it’s nothing to be afraid of. Just do it,” she told NBC Chicago.

Closer to home, Singaporean Tan Kok Sing

celebrated his 90th birthday in 2015 by skydiving from 4,260m in Wollongong, Australia

.

He skydived with 13 family members across three generations.

It was Mr Tan’s fourth skydive, his first being in 1996.

In 2014, former US president George H. W. Bush

also marked his 90th birthday by skydiving in Kennebunkport, Maine

.