Wigginton and Coker break world record

James C. Wigginton and Alex Coker of the United States broke the world record for the highest skydive or tandem skydive ever performed.

According to the Guinness World Record, the skydivers jumped from a momentous height of 12,807 m (42,018 ft) in Memphis, Tennessee, to set a new record for other skydivers in the world.

It’s worth noting that a standard tandem skydive is performed between 8,000 and 14,000 feet, while a commercial passenger plane typically flies at about 35,000 feet.

Wigginton and Coker set the new world record on May 25, 2024, in honor of their late dear friend and teammate Thomas J. Noonan III. They carried photographs of Tom and his girlfriend Julie Watkins during their skydiving.

Alex confessed: “I felt at peace with this jump. “There was a lot of preparation, this was not a normal skydive… There is nothing like it in the world.”

Furthermore, Wigginton, who already held this record with Arkadiusz Majewski of Poland in 2019 after jumping from 11,405 m (37,417 ft), said: “I was supposed to jump with my teammate Tom Noonan, and he suffered an injury, so “I ended up having to jump with a gentleman from Poland.”

“In 2021, we attempted this jump from 41,000 feet and unfortunately it led to Tom’s death. “Tom was about 40 years old and spent his entire career as a tandem skydiver, so everyone knew Tom Noonan,” he continued.

Tom tragically died after an oxygen system malfunction, causing hypoxia for him and everyone on board.