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Tokyo (CNN) -
At 118, the world's oldest living person prepares to carry the Olympic torch this May in Japan.
Kane Tanaka, who is a cancer survivor twice, lived through two global pandemics and loves soft drinks, will catch the Olympic flame when he passes through Shime in Fukuoka prefecture, his hometown.
While Tanaka's family will push her in a wheelchair for most of her 100-meter run, the supercentennial, a person over 110 years old, is determined to walk the last few steps as she passes the torch on to the next. runner.
CNN spoke exclusively with Tanaka, who has a new pair of sneakers for the event, a gift from her family on her birthday in January.
Kane Tanaka loves soda drinks and plays math puzzles every day.
“It's great that he's reached that age and can still maintain an active lifestyle;
we want other people to see that and be inspired, and not think that age is a barrier, ”said his grandson Eiji Tanaka, who is in his 60s.
Previous record holders for the oldest Olympic torchbearers include Aida Gemanque of Brazil, who lit the torch at the 2016 Rio Summer Games at age 106, and table tennis player Alexander Kaptarenko, who ran with the torch at the Sochi 2014 Winter Games at 101 years old.
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The life of a supercentennial
Tanaka was born in 1903, the year aviation pioneers Orville and Wilbur Wright made history by completing the world's first powered flight.
She had four children with a rice store owner whom she married at age 19 and worked in the family store until she was 103. She has five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
She lived through two world wars and the Spanish flu of 1918, although her grandson Eiji said: "I don't remember her talking a lot about the past ... She has a lot of vision for the future, she really enjoys living in the present."
And it is almost the same age as the modern Olympics, which began in 1896.
When the Olympics were last held in Tokyo in 1964, Tanaka was 61 years old.
Counting the summer and winter editions of the games, this year's Olympics will be the 49th of your life.
Tanaka now lives in a nursing home, where she usually wakes up at 6 a.m. and enjoys playing the strategic board game Othello.
Tanaka's family, who have not been able to visit her for 18 months due to the Covid-19 pandemic, said maintaining curiosity and math are her secrets to keeping her mind sharp and her body healthy.
Kane Tanaka, 32 years old in 1935, in the center of the front row.
Tanaka is by no means the only centennial from Japan.
For the first time last year, Japan registered more than 80,000 centenarians, according to the country's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, marking the 50th consecutive annual increase.
In 2020, one in 1,565 people in Japan was over 100 years old, more than 88% of them women.
In Japan, women have a life expectancy of 87.4 years compared to 81.4 years for men, government figures released in July 2020 showed.
In 2019, the Guinness Book of World Records certified Tanaka as the oldest living person in the world, and now he has his sights set on another milestone: the record for the oldest person who has ever lived is held by a French woman, who died a the 122 years.
"(Kane) said he wants to break that record," said Eiji Tanaka, his grandson.
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Connecting generations
Tanaka's family said that she has not been training for the torch relay, but is excited to be a part of the Olympics.
"She has always loved festivals," said Eiji Tanaka.
But he cautioned that his participation in May, sponsored by a Japanese life insurance company, will depend on his health and weather conditions.
The pandemic-delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch Relay begins in Fukushima prefecture on March 25, with various COVID-19 countermeasures in place, authorities announced last month.
The torch will first pass through the regions affected by the devastating 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, marking the 10th anniversary of the disaster, before traveling "to all corners of Japan," authorities said.
Coronavirus restrictions include avoiding closed spaces, crowded places, and close-contact environments.
Those who wish to watch the relay from the roadside should wear masks, stay home if they feel unwell, and refrain from traveling outside of the prefecture in which they live.
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Spectators have also been told to "cheer with applause ... rather than shouting or cheering."
The relay will be streamed live online.
Torch bearers must complete a daily health checklist two weeks before the relay and refrain from activities that may involve a risk of infection, such as eating out or going to crowded places, authorities advised.
Tanaka's great-granddaughter Junko Tanaka created a Twitter account in January 2020 to celebrate the life of the supercentennial.
Tweet photos of your great-grandmother enjoying treats like cake and soft drinks, and share her accomplishments and exchanges with her family members.
"I started tweeting about her because it's pretty amazing that at 118 she drinks Coke and plays Othello," Junko Tanaka said.
“It could be biased because I am related to her, but I think it is something amazing.
I wanted to share that with the world and for people to feel inspired and feel their joy.
Olympic torch
