A 75-year-old Perth retiree is now in the Guinness World Records as the oldest person to perform a handstand. She didn't just scrape past the mark, either.
Esther Fischer needed to hold the pose unassisted for at least 15 seconds. When she made her attempt on 31 August 2026, she stayed upside down for 55 seconds, almost four times the minimum. Guinness certified the record this week, and she told ABC Perth about it on Saturday.
"If you Google me, who's the oldest person who can hold a handstand, my name comes up. It's kind of cool." — Esther Fischer
It started over coffee
Ms Fischer said the idea came up over coffee with friends, when someone wondered who held the record. They looked it up and found the holder was a 74-year-old man from the United States.
That appears to be New Jersey man Paul Budline. Guinness announced in May 2025 that he had set the mark at 74 years and 145 days, after recovering from hip surgery. Ms Fischer is a few months older than that, and her 55-second hold leaves a lot of room to spare.
Her friends were confident she could beat it. After watching his record attempt online, she decided she probably could too.
Three years to get it right
Ms Fischer was never a gymnast. Her gym owner, Jacob Moffitt, said she wasn't an athlete in her youth either: she only started training at about 64 or 65.
Even after she could already kick up into a handstand, holding one steady took her a long time. She told the ABC it took about three years before everything clicked one day.
"It just took ages and ages and ages and one day I hit it. It was unreal." — Esther Fischer
She has trained at the same gym for about a decade. Mr Moffitt said her record has already changed things there: the gym now runs a longevity class for people aged 60 and over. Ms Fischer is one of its core members, and he said she has drawn about half a dozen regulars to it.
He said the class is about helping older people build strength, and that this improves both how they move and their quality of life. He called Ms Fischer proof that it is never too late to start.
Next up: one arm
Ms Fischer isn't finished. She has spent the past two years working on a one-arm handstand, and if she lands it she could set another age record. She admits that one is much harder.
"I could be the oldest person to do it, but I don't know whether it's going to work or not." — Esther Fischer
Why it matters
Gyms and physios have long said strength training is one of the best things older people can do to stay independent. It protects bone density and balance, and helps prevent falls. A Perth grandmother-aged retiree holding a handstand for nearly a minute makes that point better than any brochure.
If Ms Fischer's story has you thinking about getting stronger later in life, talk to your GP or a physio before you start. Many Perth gyms, councils and community centres now run classes for people over 60.
Photo: Toa Heftiba via Wikimedia Commons (CC0). File photo, not Ms Fischer.
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