An 18-year-old from New York has achieved a remarkable feat by smashing a Guinness World Record by successfully catching a tennis ball dropped by a drone hovering 469.5 feet above.
Cameron Heinig, together with his friend and skilled drone pilot, Julian, dedicated two summers to their mission of breaking the record for the highest tennis ball catch.
"It did not hurt as much as I thought it would," Cameron told Guinness World Records, who was required to catch the ball with his bare hands. "It didn't hurt any more than a really hard high-five."
Mr Heinig admitted that his initial attempts during the first summer were far from successful, with the ball eluding him consistently. However, their relentless determination paid off the following year as they adopted a more strategic approach by incorporating a baseball glove into their practice sessions.
New record: Highest catch of a tennis ball - 143.11 metres by Cameron Heinig (USA) 🎾 pic.twitter.com/6qihv1Wr5D
— Guinness World Records (@GWR) October 20, 2023
When Mr Heinig became consistently proficient in catching the ball with bare hands, he decided to brave the endeavour without the glove, even though he had concerns about the potential pain.
The official record-breaking attempt faced a temporary delay when a surveyor brought in to measure the drone's height deemed the drone too small for an accurate measurement. Consequently, the drone was modified to include a reflector for precision.
On the day of the official attempt, Mr Heinig managed to secure the tennis ball on his third try, and the surveyor confirmed that it was released from a height of 469.5 feet, surpassing the previous record by an impressive 75.4 feet.
"I was a little worried that it would hurt, but I figured it was worth it for a Guinness World Records title," he said.
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