Irish footballer breaks Guinness World Record for longest throw-in

An Irish footballer has broken the Guinness World Record for farthest distance a football has been thrown by a woman, sending it 37.55 metres.

Drogheda native and London City Lionesses player Megan Campbell took on the challenge at her team’s training ground in Kent on April 30, where she had to break the 35-metre barrier.

Campbell’s best effort of 37.55 metres (123 feet and 2 inches) easily cleared the mannequin which had been placed at the 35-metre spot, to set the record.

“It’s an amazing achievement for me personally to have that now, as the first ever,” the 31-year-old football player said.

“But ultimately, you want someone to beat you, I want someone to be more successful than me because then that means I’ve put another player in a better place.

“You’ve got to be someone that people can look up to and want to achieve things from, so of course I want someone to go on and beat my record.”

Campbell has previously played for Manchester City, Liverpool, and Everton, and has 50 caps for the Republic of Ireland, saying it’s an “absolute honour” to have represented her country so many times.

Her London City Lionesses recently drew their match against Birmingham City and were promoted to the top league in English football.

Campbell, who believes it is her hypermobility that allows her to throw the ball so far, says record breaking sends an important message that “there are no barriers”.

She said: “Anything is achievable in life, no matter what it is.

“If you have a goal and you have a mindset to want to go out and achieve that, then it’s possible.

“Knowing that anything is possible is what keeps you going and gives you the drive to go every day and want to push to achieve things.”