Brazilian centenarian takes up skydiving

BRASILIA - A 100-year-old woman went skydiving for the first time in her life this weekend and now wants to repeat the feat, which she called “unforgettable” and “unique”, media reports said.

Aida dos Santos Saturday jumped from an airplane flying at about 9,750 feet in tandem with her instructor, Pedro Paulo, who guided her during a free-fall of nine seconds and then brought her in to a gentle landing, the Terra website said.

The landing occurred at the airport at Macapa, capital of the Amazon state of Amapa, where Dos Santos has lived her entire life.

“It’s something rather nice and I want to do it again,” the elderly woman said once she was back on the ground, where among her relatives waiting for her was her grandson Josivaldo Vaz dos Santos, 27, who enjoys skydiving and got her interested in giving it a try.

Dos Santos, who turned 100 Nov 20, said that her first jump was a kind “of birthday and Christmas present” and she added that after doing it she felt much younger.

“Now it’s just as if I was only 50,” Dos Santos said.

–EFE