Thimothy Shanon Jebaseela catches cricket ball from nearly 400 ft high drop to break world record

The world record for the highest catch of a cricket ball has been broken. Thimothy Shanon Jebaseelan is now the holder of the feat, having caught the ball from a height of 119.86 meter (393 ft 3 in) drop. Notably, Thimothy didn’t get the success in his first attempt. Back in 2019, he tried to shatter the record but the only thing he managed to break is his finger.

The same resulted in a trip to the hospital and Thimothy had to stay out of action for a while. A couple of years later, however, Thimothy geared up to dust off his wicket-keeper gloves and give a shot to break the record again. This time, he was successful as the grab was clean.

Thimothy Shanon Jebaseelan enter record books

The date was November 9, 2021, and Thimothy donned his protective gear and advanced to the centre of his local cricket ground. A drone, carrying a cricket ball, was flying high up into the sky above. Hence, the ball was set to come at a highly dangerous high speed. The thought of not being able to break the record before might have played in Thimothy’s mind but he managed to grasp the ball this time around.

Putting his body on the line, he precisely got underneath the ball and got the hold of it safely between both hands. He caught the ball from a height of 119.86 meter (393 ft 3 in). The previous record was 114 m (374 ft), held by UK’s Kristan Baumgartner in 2019. Notably, Thimothy, who was born in Sri Lanka, lost his father in his childhood. Hence, he was raised by a single mother.

“Growing up in Sri Lanka wasn’t easy. When I told everyone about my dream to live in Australia, they laughed at me,” Thimothy said as per the official website of Guinness World Records. He used all his saving to get a one-way plane ticket to Sydney in 2018. He luckily found a job which enabled him to support his living. Notably, he also raises money for orphans and widows living in Sri Lanka.

“My catch is more than just the honour of holding such a title. It is also so I can continue helping others in need,” said Thimothy.