Sky's the limit for record breaker

After shattering his own Guinness World Record at the Cavan Crystal Hotel last weekend by pulling 25 tonne truck, local amputee Shane McLaughlin is already eyeing up his next incredible challenge - tugging a 48 tonne aircraft.

The Clones man, who had his left leg amputated below the knee and now walks with a spring-loaded prosthetic, says less than half a dozen people across the globe have ever pulled a 44 tonne aircraft and he now intends “to do one better and with one leg less”.

Shane is now the holder of three back-to-back World Records for the heaviest vehicle pulled (LA2) - at 18,000kg in Dublin last May, followed by a 20-tonne lorry in Scotland in August, and now a 25-tonne lorry in Cavan.

“It was tight going,” says the 53-year-old, who said was “sore, tired, but still feeling great” when the Celt caught up to speak with him on Monday last.

“It’s great to get another one under the belt. Three in a row,” says Shane who wants to see competitive truck pulling added to Los Angeles Paralympics Games 2028 roster.

Was he confident last Saturday’s pull could be done?

“It was 50-50,” he says, after seeing the weather forecast and the slick of rain on the ground before the World Record officially got underway.

“You’re talking five tonne heavier than before. Anxious. That was my feeling. [The ground surface] was greasy. I slipped and took a good knock. But no and I dug in. The lorry was just getting across the line as I was getting tired. I didn’t have much left in me at that stage. It was pure stubbornness that got me there.”

Shane lost his left leg in a farm-related accident in 2001, and after 78 individual operations opted to undergo amputation at Dublin’s St James’ in 2012.

Kiernan’s piggery from Kilnaleck provided the truck that Shane pulled, and he extends his gratitude to the staff at Cavan Crystal; to Cllrs Pat Treanor, Richard Truell, TP O’Reilly and Trevor Smith; to Cavan County Council and An Garda Siochana; as well as everyone who sponsored his latest attempt.

Asked where Shane can take his feats of superhuman strength to next, he says: “I’m already making plans for my next one. That’s not my limit, no. Far from it. My next one is going to be next year, a 48 tonne aircraft. Why I say 48 tonne is because only five men in the world have ever pulled a 44 tonne aircraft and I’m going to do one better and with one leg less.”

The event will most likely take place abroad, perhaps America.

“The goal has always been about spreading awareness, for other amputees around the world, to show everyone that nothing is impossible.”

Shane’s nine-year-old daughter Jessica, he says, is a “massive” part of his success to date. “Without her I don’t know what I’d do. I push myself because I want to make her proud. I get a lot of strength from her. And I want to show her you can do anything if you put your mind to it.”