Guinness World Records Confirms New Oldest Living Person

Maria Gomes Valentim is the First Brazilian Super-Centenarian to Receive Title

May 18, 2011, London – Today, Guinness World Records, the global authority on record-breaking, can confirm that Brazilian Maria Gomes Valentim has taken the title of ‘Oldest Living Person’ aged 114 years and 313 days.

The great-great grandmother is 48 days older than the previous titleholder, Ms. Besse Cooper from Monroe, Georgia, USA, whose title will now be the ‘Oldest Living North American.’

Maria was born on July 9, 1896, in Carangola, Brazil where she resided all her life. She married João Valentim in 1913 and was left widowed in 1946. They had one son, four grandchildren, seven great grandchildren and five great-great- grandchildren.

Valentim attributes her life’s longevity to a healthy diet. She eats a full roll of bread every morning with coffee, fruit and the occasional milk with linseed. Acknowledging her “strong hands,” she is still able to eat completely on her own and treats herself with an occasional glass of wine.

Guinness World Records Editor-in-Chief, Craig Glenday, said:  “To receive a claim from a woman born during the reign of Queen Victoria – before the Ford Motor Company was formed, or before even George and Ira Gershwin, were born – is remarkable in itself, but for that woman to be Brazilian makes it extra special. Never has a successful claim for longevity emerged from Brazil – until now.”

While Guinness World Records has received several claims from potential Brazilian super centenarians, due to lack of relevant evidence and documentation, these claims were never ratified. Maria Gomes Valentim’s reign as the ‘Oldest Living Person’ will be the country’s first super-centenarian to officially get recognition.

Ninety-nine percent of claims to age 115+ turn out to be false or un-documentable. Late-life birth records are not proof of birth but may serve as identification.

Guinness World Records Gerontology Consultant, Robert Young, said:  “Applicants must have original proof of birth issued within 20 years of the birth and proof that the person alive today is the same person in the original birth record.”

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About Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records is the universally recognized authority on record-breaking achievement.  First published in 1955, the annual Guinness World Records book is published in more than 100 countries and 25 languages and is one of the highest-selling books under copyright of all time with more than 3 million copies sold annually across the globe. Guinness World Records celebrated its 50th anniversary edition in 2004, a year after the sale of its 100 millionth copy.  Guinness World Records also annually publishes the Gamer’s Edition; a records book devoted solely to the world of computer gaming and high score record achievements.  The Guinness World Records website (www.guinnessworldrecords.com) receives more than 11 million visitors a year. Guinness World Records is part of the Jim Pattison Group, one of Canada’s largest privately owned companies which is a conglomerate of interests, including advertising, broadcasting, grocery stores and automotive retailing.