As Mikaela Shiffrin Prepares for Competition, Another Skier Breaks Records to Achieve the Unthinkable

Alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin is preparing for the upcoming skiing season. She will take part in the Giant Slalom on October 28. While most people are excited to watch the Americans conquer the slopes once again another skier from another corner of the world has captured everyone’s attention. This skier has traveled a distance of almost 9,000 kilometers to achieve an unbelievable record.

Katsumi Saeki is an 88-year-old Japanese woman residing in the Nagano community. She is also a cross-country skier. In August, she participated in the prestigious 2023 Masters World Cup held in Austria and broke her own record. Saeki is a legend of her own and is the world’s oldest cross-country skier.

Katsumi Saeki breaks own skiing world record

Katsumi Saeki competed in the 2022 Japan Masters Championship skiing competition. The Guinness World Record honored her with a record of being the world’s oldest cross-country skier. One year later and a year older, Saeki registered for the over-85 category of the 2023 Masters World Cup Skiing and traveled to Austria to make another record. According to New To Ski, Saeki took part in both the 5km classic-style and freestyle cross-country skiing events.

On the first day of the competition, she clocked a remarkable time of 26 minutes and 18 seconds in the classic-style race. With her incredible speed, she beat out rivals younger than her. However, Saeki is not one to rest on her laurels and began preparing for the second day of the competition. The following day, Saeki ended the 5km freestyle event with a confident time of 29 minutes and 4 seconds.

Once again, the Japanese skiing ace outpaced four younger rivals to solidify her dominance in the competition. By taking part in these two events where she not only completed the course but also achieved impressive times, Saeki has broken her own Guinness World Record. Cross-country skiing demands endurance, strength, and technique which the octogenarian had an abundance of. Spectators could not believe their eyes as they watched Saeki effortlessly glide across the snow. Finally, she revealed the secret to fitness and longevity even at an advanced age.

The secret to Katsumi Saeki’s remarkable fitness and strength at age 88

Katsumi Saeki started skiing as a schoolgirl and quickly fell in love with the sport. As she grew older, this love only grew stronger and evolved from a leisure sport to one of intense fitness and competition. Now, it has become a way of self-challenge and an outlet for her boundless love for traveling. Saeki has always loved touring the beautiful places near the Nagano community where she had spent most of her life. Even in her late 80s, she has maintained the conditioning required to explore her favorite activities.

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She has never allowed her body to rest and continues to train in her hometown of Nagano. Her fitness regime is as intense as ever so that her body remains strong and agile. She is already gearing to break the record for the third time in a row as her next goal is to participate in the 2024 Masters World Cup. Katsumi Saeki has proven to herself and others that age is just a number and that one can achieve great physical feats with determination and perseverance.

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