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John Maclean - No Disabilities, Only Possibilities
You name it, he’s done it. It seems there’s no challenge John Maclean isn’t willing to take on.
A 12 tonne truck derailed John Maclean’s young ambition but set him on track to far greater heights. Within a few short years of the accident, John was back on his bike and on his way to some amazing career adventures.
A life-changing event
In 1988, John had the rugby league world at his feet. He had left school after Year 10, destined for a sporting career and was on the brink of first grade selection with the Penrith Panthers.
Out training one day John was knocked off his bike by a 12 tonne truck–tragically leaving him a paraplegic. With his sporting hopes seemingly dashed and a long hospital recovery it would have been easy to slide into the gloom.
‘I knew it was critical to set some goals and be a player, not a spectator,’ John says.
‘For the first time, I had to do some serious reflecting. I understood that change will happen–it’s how you deal with it that’s important. You’ve got to believe in yourself, be with positive people, ask questions, ask for help if you need it and just have a go.’
Believe in yourself
Amazingly, only a few short years after his accident John rode into the record books as the first wheelchair athlete to complete the Hawaiian Ironman Triathlon, perhaps the toughest and most enduring event known to man.
As if that didn’t challenge him enough, John went on to swim the English Channel, compete at the Sydney Paralympics, conquer the Molokai Challenge, sail the Sydney–Hobart Yacht Race, and win a silver medal at the 2007 Rowing World Championships.
‘The American poet Henry David Thoreau wrote about sucking the marrow out of life,’ John says. ‘That’s what I want to do. I’m always looking for new challenges. Right now, I’m training to win a rowing gold medal at the Beijing Olympics.’
Beyond sport
John has taken his career beyond sport and beyond the personal. He set up the John Maclean Foundation to inspire and enable young people in wheelchairs to achieve their ambitions.
Through sponsorship and John’s own national and international speaking and mentoring work in the corporate world, the Foundation has raised more than a million dollars for direct assistance to the people who need it.
The Foundation’s motto is ‘Only possibilities’–inspiring young people to seize opportunities, and not be deterred by barriers.
John Maclean loathes the word ‘disability’. His mission is to spread the truth that all people are equal; they’re different only in what they set out to achieve.
