Three Indians unfurl tricolour while skydiving, help set world record in Libya: Reports

Dubai: Three UAE-based Indians were among 65 skydivers who jumped from an aircraft at an altitude of 13,000 feet, each carrying their respective national flag, making it to the Guinness World Records, according to media reports.

Jamsheer Thanalot from Kannur in Kerala, Abhishek Rawat from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh and Isha Raj from Patna in Bihar were the only Indians among the participants in the activity held in Libya on August 7, according to a report in the Gulf News newspaper published on Saturday.

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The entire group of 65 set a new record for the most skydivers jumping together with national flags from a single aircraft. The Guinness World Records officially confirmed the record on August 14.

Each skydiver carried their national flag while jumping from a military Ilyushin Il-76TD aircraft, the report said.

The successful attempt saw the Indian participants carry the Tricolour during the jump, adding a "patriotic element" to the record achieved just ahead of India's Independence Day, it said.

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Skydivers from around 38 nationalities were part of the group, the Khaleej Times reported.

The three Indians are part of the skydiving community in the UAE and travelled to Libya on August 5, where they completed three trial jumps before being cleared for the final attempt, the report said.

"Even after a combined total of over 1,500 jumps between us, it was stressful for each one of us," Rawat told Gulf News.

Thanalot told the newspaper that having 65 skydivers exit a single aircraft together was extremely rare in the sport, with most such jumps involving no more than 21 skydivers.

"It is a very proud feeling for us. There were people from so many countries and we were there representing India," Jamsheer told the Khaleej Times.

What made the jump particularly challenging was the need to control the large flags while avoiding entanglement with parachutes, maintaining a safe distance from other skydivers and landing inside a designated area covered by cameras for the record attempt to be counted, Khaleej Times reported.