Skydivers vie for gold in Victoria

A retired army officer turned daredevil is hoping to parachute his way to gold in the Australian Skydiving Championships.

While most kick back in their retirement years, Alan Gray, 55, is taking the plunge in his first national championship in Nagambie in northern Victoria.

The South Australian is competing in two events with his team, linking hands and plummeting toward the ground in formation.

The aim is to produce as many consecutive formations in 35 seconds, scoring a point for each.

Gray caught the skydiving bug during army training and has been jumping ever since.

"I went to the army parachute training school and didn't have much choice in the matter," he told AAP on Tuesday.

"And now it has consumed my life for 24 years."

About a hundred of the nation's best skydivers will compete over a week of events, including formation skydiving, wing-suiting and parachute formation.

The Australian Skydiving Championships run from January 6-13.