Sky-diving queen to create four world records

Pune-based sky-diving queen Shital Mahajan is planning to create four new world records in sky- and scuba-diving with a 100-strong all-women contingent in April in Australia.

Addressing a press meet organised by the Mumbai Press Club, Mahajan announced that her Phoenix Sky-diving Academy would attempt to set new records with a simultaneous sky- and scuba-dive feat by 100 Indian women in Gold Coast, Brisbane.

"Even men will be permitted to join both the feats after the 100 women complete it, and by doing so we plan to achieve two more records - the maximum number of Indians participating simultaneously in sky- and scuba-diving separately in a single day in one location," Mahajan said here Wednesday evening.

Mahajan, who was conferred a Padmashri, India's third-highest civilian honour for adventure sports, already holds 14 national and eight international records.

The 33-year-old Punekar shot into global limelight after becoming the first woman in the world to perform successful jumps over both the North and South Pole at first attempt, besides becoming the first and youngest woman in the world to jump over the South Pole without trials.

Mahajan said that a tandem jump (sky-dive) is the the fastest and simplest way to experience the exhilaration of being in freefall in which the jumper is attacked to an experienced skydiver, and they jump from around 13,000 feet at speeds of 120 kmph.

In April 2008, she married software engineer Vaibha Rane. Their wedding was India's first marriage ceremony to be held 600-feet above the ground in a hot-air balloon near Pune. All the rituals, too, were performed in the air.