Tomiko Itoka, a 116-year-old Japanese woman who was once a mountain climber, is now officially the world’s oldest person according to the Guinness World Records, following the death of 117-year-old María Branyas from Spain earlier this week.
Itoka, born on May 23, 1908, lives in the western Japanese city of Ashiya, according to the American Gerontology Research Group. She is the mother of three children and was born the same year the Wright brothers made their first public flights in Europe and America.
In her 70s, Itoka frequently went hiking and climbed Japan’s 3,067-meter Mount Ontake twice, surprising her guide by climbing the mountain in sneakers instead of boots.
At the age of 100, she climbed the long stone steps of Ashiya Shrine without a cane.
Born in Osaka, she graduated from Osaka Jogakuin School and played in a volleyball club. She married at around 20 years old.
During World War II, she took over her husband’s role in managing a textile factory in South Korea, running the factory herself while raising her children.
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