One-armed weightlifter 'buzzing' at thought of new world record with 3D-printed prosthetic

• John Whitman's record attempt was witnessed by ITV News Anglia's Matthew Hudson

A former blacksmith who lost his arm in a workplace accident says he is "buzzing" at the thought of setting a new world weightlifting record with his prosthetic arm.

Two years and more than 30 operations after having his right arm amputated, John Whitman has now set an unofficial world best by bench-pressing 6,000kg in an hour with a specially designed arm.

The total now needs to be officially verified by Guinness World Records but, if approved, the total lifted by Mr Whitman at his gym near Peterborough would represent nearly three times the current best.

"[I'm] absolutely over the moon - just buzzing. I want to keep going but the body... there's a limit it tells you to what you can and can't do. But I'm absolutely over the moon," he told ITV News Anglia.

Mr Whitman was wearing a 3D-printed arm called a Hero Flex, which is specially designed for physical activity.

He has been trialling it for creators Open Bionics and says it has changed his life.

And his determination has been an inspiration for many of his fellow members at the Empire Gym in Market Deeping.

Friend Matt Weston said: "You've got two choices - you can sit down and focus on the problem or you can use the problem as a motivation to get you to the next place you want to be.

"Since the moment I've known John following his accident, from day one his approach has been a very, very positive one, a voyage of discovery."

Mr Whitman lifted a 75kg weight in short blocks of five lifts, with short breaks in between, with his entire effort recorded for later verification by Guinness.

Over the course of an hour, his unofficial cumulative total was 6,000kg - nearly treble the previous mark of 2,100kg.

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