Longest duration juggling with three basketballs

The longest duration juggling with three basketballs is 2 hr 15 min 20 sec, achieved by Thomas Whitaker (UK), in Cheltenham, UK, on 8 August 2021.

Thomas (18) has previously achieved the record for most juggling catches in one minute (three basketballs) and hopes to re-claim that record next. He is also keen to increase his record tally and has a number of other juggling titles in his sights.

He first learned to juggle aged 12. He was at home looking for something to do and found a set of juggling balls under his bed, so gave it a go and gradually spent longer and longer juggling until he was proficient. His dad was a good juggler, so Thomas credits him with helping his development and inspiring him to take it up.

After learning to juggle using smaller balls, he moved onto football (soccer) balls he bought from a local sports shop. Once he had mastered the challenge of making sure the balls do not collide, he moved on to basketballs after seeing there was a record for juggling basketballs. He was set on achieving the record and told a lot of people about his intentions. He even did a demonstration of the record on stage one year in a Christmas Variety Show at school, and his words to the audience were:
“I may not achieve this in a second… but I promise you that I will succeed one day!” He was right! A copy of the certificate is hanging at that school right now.

When he started training for this record – his first endurance juggling challenge – the biggest problem he faced was focus. To begin with he could only manage around 7 minutes. “My main tactics with concentration were to block out any background noise and take things one catch at a time. I also found, that thinking of something slightly irrelevant but joyful whilst juggling helped a lot, though not to get cocky and drop a ball. Something as simple as a gust of wind, or someone making a comment, or walking by could put these powers to the test. I guess that getting distracted was actually part of the training. The record attempt definitely taught me a lot about my mental strength as a whole, and how mental control is a huge factor of record-breaking!”

Thomas’ grandmother suffers from a form of Parkinson’s and Vascular Dementia, so he used the record attempt to raise funds for charities supporting those in need. He hopes to use future record attempts to raise funds other important causes, including Autism and eating disorder support.

On the prospect of achieving a Guinness World Records title, he said “Honestly, it would mean the world to me! This record was something I worked for over a period of several months. It took a lot of dedication and I had to maintain a certain drive mentally in order to achieve it. I would say for this record, I definitely aspired to become the absolute best in this specific field. The whole mission strained me both physically and mentally, though I had steel determination on achieving the goal! If the record gets officially accepted, it would not only be a personal achievement but the title will have taught me a lot about myself, my body, and the overall human I have the potential to be! That’s what I love about record-breaking! It’s not just about the title, but the journey it takes you on!”