112yo Spanish veteran claims title of world’s oldest living man
At 112 years and eight months of age, boasting four children, nine grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren, Francisco Nunez Olivera from the village of Bienvenida in Western Spain is laying claim to the title of the world’s oldest man.
Born on December 13th 1904, Olivera reckons “good genes, hard work, a varied diet of homegrown vegetables and a daily glass of red wine” are the key ingredients to a long life, reports the Local. He has managed to maintain this routine despite losing his teeth four decades ago.
“Until the age of 107 he used to walk the streets by himself. Whenever he got tired, he would rest in the corner, chatting away to people. He loves chatting,” his sister, Maria Antonia, 81, told EFE.
A widower since 1988, Olivera also claims he has never broken a bone, despite fighting in the Rif War in North Africa (1920-1926) and the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), affording him the title of Spain’s oldest veteran.
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The Guinness Book of World Records has yet to officially recognise Olivera as the world’s oldest man because the originals of his birth certificate and other documentation from his local church and school were burnt in a fire during the civil war, reports El Mundo.
However, the paper claims to have found copies of a wedding certificate which corroborate Olivera’s story.
The previous titleholder of the world’s oldest living man was Auschwitz survivor Yisrael Kristal, who passed away a month before his 114th birthday on August 11, reports the Times of Israel.
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There are over 17,000 people in Spain above the age of 100, 16 of whom who equal or surpass 110 years of age, reports El Mundo.
The officially recognised oldest living woman in the world is Jamaica’s Violet Brown, who was born on March 10th, 1900.
