A nine-year-old boy has become the youngest amputee to conquer the Three Peaks challenge in under 24 hours.
Albie-Junior Thomas had his left foot amputated at just 15 months old after being born with fibula hemimelia. Yet the youngster from Holywell in Flintshire has refused to let this hold him back. He has proudly walked about on his prosthetic limb since the age of two, with aspirations of one day competing at the Paralympics.
Albie-Junior has now completed the Three Peaks challenge, where he scaled the highest mountains in Scotland, England and Wales in just 22 hours and 30 minutes on Tuesday, August 18, accompanied by his father Daniel.
World record submission
His dad believes this constitutes a world record and has submitted his achievement to Guinness World Records.
Albie-Junior's father said: "A little boy from Holywell in north Wales, has already shown the world what is possible. But what makes me most proud isn't just the mountains - it's the resilience, determination and the mental strength."
"I've watched my little boy grow from a child who had to learn to walk with a prosthetic leg into a young boy who is now inspiring thousands of people around the world. And this is only the beginning."
The three peaks
The gruelling challenge covers a total walking distance of approximately 23 miles and a total ascent of 3,064 metres.
The three peaks Albie-Junior had to conquer in the challenge were Ben Nevis in Scotland, the highest summit in the British Isles at 1,345m, followed by Scafell Pike, England's loftiest point at 978m, and Yr Wyddfa - the highest point in Wales at 1,085m, which is traditionally the final mountain of the challenge.
Early life and amputation
Albie-Junior was born in December 2016 with fibula hemimelia, meaning his left foot was deformed and his left leg was 5cm shorter than his right. His parents sensed something wasn't quite right as it had been detected during a pregnancy scan. However, doctors were unable to confirm what was wrong until Albie-Junior arrived into the world.
Daniel and Albie-Junior's mother Rachel Kyrki were presented with the choice of either amputating or lengthening his leg through pinning. As the latter would entail a prolonged procedure, the couple agreed to have Albie-Junior's left foot amputated when he was 15 months old.
While deliberating over the decision, Daniel encountered an amputee at his gym who had gone on to become a strongman competitor. This made the choice to have Albie-Junior's foot amputated "a lot easier" and "straightforward" for the father.
However, he revealed he had felt "crushed" when Albie-Junior was placed in his arms following the amputation surgery. He said: "It crushed me inside. I felt so guilty, you're supposed to protect your child, and I felt like I was the one who'd taken his foot off. But immediately afterwards I thought - I have no right to feel pain, this is his thing."
"So I got it out of my system and I made a promise to him right then and there that I was going to get him to the Paralympics one day."
Raising funds for local football club
Albie-Junior then mastered walking as an amputee remarkably swiftly, and he was moving around confidently on his prosthetic leg by the age of two. He and his father have since tackled numerous mountains together, with Albie-Junior even becoming the youngest amputee to climb Mount Snowdon in 2021 at just four years old.
Daniel added: "Albie-Junior has one dream which is to become a Paralympian for Team GB. And as his dad, I will do everything I can to help him chase that dream."
"He's already shown us that limits are sometimes just something waiting to be challenged. So remember his name because we've got so much more to come. One step at a time."
Albie-Junior used the Three Peaks challenge to raise funds for Holywell Town Football Club. He has collected more than £3,000 so far.
