Daring 101-Year-Old Woman Abseils Down Tower To Set World Record

Daring 101-Year-Old Woman Abseils Down Tower To Set World Record

To set a world record is pretty cool. To break your own world record is just plain badass. And that's exactly what 101-year-old Doris Long set out to do this weekend as she geared up and got strapped in to abseil from a tower, over 300 feet high in Portsmouth, England.

"Daring Doris," as she's aptly been dubbed, set the world record on her 100th birthday last year, becoming the oldest person to abseil. This weekend, it seems she broke it when she descended from Spinnaker Tower at 101.

"I don't feel afraid and never have, I just have a placid nature," Long told the media.

The great-great-grandmother reportedly took up abseiling when she was 85 and has been fearless ever since. This year, she was raising money for a hospice to help them provide care, free of charge.

She said her legs and arms were aching as she finished the abseil. "It was very hard work, much harder than last year," she said. "It was so windy I swung about a bit but oh yes, I enjoyed it, I feel it's well worth it."

Other post-50 athletes have stunned us with their abilities in old age as well. Earlier this year, a 54-year-old made our jaws drop when he set the world record for most pull-ups in 24 hours, completing an unbelievable 4,321 pull-ups. And just last week, 100-year-old World War II veteran Fred Winter became the oldest person to complete the 100-meter dash at the National Senior Games.

As for Daring Doris, when asked if she'd attempt the feat again next year, she simply said: "Time will tell."

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