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UK's Weighton become world's oldest man at 112

LONDON, March 31, 2020

Guinness World Records, the global authority on record-breaking, announces today, that Robert Weighton, from the UK, is the oldest person living (male) aged 112 and 1 day.
 
Adhering to current UK rules around social distancing, Guinness World Records were unable to meet Bob in person as they normally would, instead the assisted living home where he lives arranged for Happy Birthday to be sung to him on his balcony and presented him with his certificate, all from a safe distance.
 
The evidence was scrutinised by Guinness World Records Senior Gerontology Consultant Robert Young and Weighton received the record-title after Chitetsu Watanabe (Japan, born March 5, 1907) passed away on February 23 at 112 years and 355 days.
 
Born on March 29, 1908, in Kingston-Upon-Hull, Yorkshire, he was one of seven children.
 
His father paid an extra £3 ($3.7) a term so he could stay at school until he was 16, which enabled him to take up a marine engineering apprenticeship. 
 
After qualifying, Weighton moved to Taiwan to teach at a missionary school, although he first had to spend two years in Japan learning the language.
 
In 1937, Weighton married his wife, Agnes, a teacher he had known since they studied together in England. After marrying in Hong Kong, they returned to Taiwan, where their first child was born. 
 
The family decided to return to the UK in 1939, but were diverted to Toronto, Canada, due to the onset of the Second World War. While in Canada, the couple had two more children. 
 
They returned to the UK once the war had ended, Weighton eventually took on a teaching position at City University, London.
 
As of 2016, Weighton has 10 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren. He became a supercentenarian in March 2018.
 
On receiving the Guinness record, Weighton said: "I can’t say I am pleased to hear that the previous holder has died but I am very pleased that I've been able to live so long and make so many friends."
 
The oldest person (living and female) is from Japan. Kane Tanaka (Japan, born January 2, 1903) of Fukuoka, is aged 117 years and 88 days. 
 
The oldest person ever to have lived was Jeanne Louise Calment (France, born February 21, 1875) who lived for upto 122 years and 164 days.
 
The oldest person ever (male) is Jiroemon Kimura (Japan, born April 19, 1897) and passed away aged 116 years 54 days on June 12, 2013.-TradeArabia News Service



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