AJ Hackett's girl Margaux A CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOCK!

The Kiwi legend reveals his tears for his daughter, who’s set to represent New Zealand at the Winter Olympics

- Annemorie Quill

Defying gravity is in Olympic skier Margaux Hackett’s blood. Her father is Kiwi daredevil and bungy pioneer AJ, who launched the extreme sport to the world in 1987 by leaping off the Eiffel Tower attached to an elastic cord.

Speaking to Woman’s Day in Wanaka, before flying to Beijing for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, Margaux recalls her earliest memory – leaping off a tower in Bali in tandem with her dad, becoming the youngest person to do a bungy jump at age four. She’s since done more than 100 jumps.

“I definitely have Dad’s love of adrenaline,” admits the 22-year-old. “He taught me how to push through fear from an early age. He’s done some pretty crazy things.”

But AJ reckons his girl is more fearless than him. “She’s way more radical. Although I find it quite relaxing standing on the platform just before a bungy jump, I wouldn’t feel calm doing freestyle jumps on skis like she does.”

AJ, 63, wept with joy when his daughter was selected for her first Olympics back in September, but he insists he’s not a pushy dad. “She’s never been in my shadow. She’s carved out her achievements herself.”

Despite flying through the air for much of her life, Margaux is down-to-earth, humble about her talents and feels no extra pressure as the daughter of a Kiwi legend. “We’re very close and alike, but I’m my own person,” she says.