Sophie’s Best Lift Was 52 Kilograms. Then Something Amazing Happened

The weight on the bar has always been the easiest part for Sophie Cowlishaw to measure. 

At the Para Powerlifting Australia Grand Prix in Adelaide, the number was 59 kilograms. It earned her a personal best, Best Female Lifter honours and a breakthrough performance in just her second Para powerlifting competition. 

But the significance of that lift extended beyond the three white lights.

Now, as she prepares for the Victorian Para Powerlifting Grand Prix, Cowlishaw returns to the platform with a conviction that felt unimaginable little more than a year ago. 

Following a strong Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games campaign, where Hani Watson claimed her second consecutive Commonwealth Games bronze medal and Australia’s largest-ever Para powerlifting team gained valuable international experience, attention now turns home.  

Held at Paralympics Australia’s Melbourne headquarters, The Hangar near Melbourne Airport on Saturday August 15, the Victorian Grand Prix will bring together athletes from across Australia for the third round of the 2026 National Grand Prix Series, as they continue preparations towards the National Championships on the Gold Coast in November.

For Cowlishaw, the Victorian Grand Prix offers a prime opportunity to test herself.

At the South Australian Grand Prix, she stood over the bar loaded with 59 kilograms.

She froze. 

“I just stared at [Para Powerlifting Australia Head Coach] Simon [Bergner] in shock,” she said. “Before that day, my personal best was 52 kilograms. I’d never lifted anything heavier.” 

Bergner saw no reason to hesitate. 

“He looked at me, saw the fear in my eyes, and simply said, ‘It’s alright. You’ve got this”. 

“I’m not someone who easily trusts people when they tell me what I’m capable of, but by that point I trusted Simon completely.

“I knew he wasn’t setting me up to fail. If he believed I could lift it, then I believed I could too.” 

Cowlishaw completed the lift, which meant much more than a new personal best. 

“He looked at me, saw the fear in my eyes, and simply said, ‘It’s alright. You’ve got this’.” Sophie Cowlishaw.

When she first encountered Para powerlifting at a Short Stature Sports Camp in early 2025, competing barely crossed Cowlishaw’s mind. 

“If you told me 12 months ago that I was going to be competing in powerlifting and had the chance to one day represent my country, I would be laughing,” she said. 

“It really shows that it only takes one person to see what you can’t see and push you to your potential to be the best version of yourself.

“Every achievement I’ve had in this sport has been because he believed in me long before I believed in myself.” 

But seeing herself as an athlete took time. Cowlishaw didn’t consider herself sporty as she grew up in Sydney’s western suburbs.

“I didn’t play team sports or compete in school athletics, and I never had the drive to,” she said. 

Her introduction to strength training came years later.

“I didn’t have any expectations or goals to lose weight,” she said. 

“It was more of a distraction, and my mindset was simply, ‘It’s better than doing nothing’.” 

Gradually, training became something she loved. 

“I loved the atmosphere, the way it made me feel and seeing what my body was capable of.” 

The strength was already there. Competition was not. But that changed when she stepped onto a bench press at the Short Stature Sports Camp. 

“I had absolutely no intention of trying powerlifting,” she said. “I was there to socialise, play sport with my friends and see what the Short Stature community had to offer people like me. 

“The moment I lay down on the bench, something just felt familiar. It didn’t feel like I was learning a completely new sport, it felt like I was back in the gym doing something I already loved.” 

Head Coach Bergner recognised qualities that could translate. 

“She held good shape and could get into a good position straight away the first time she got on the bench press, which is fantastic to see,” he said. 

“She was keen to do the work.” 

For almost a year, Cowlishaw couldn’t see what Bergner could.

“I didn’t think I was good enough, I didn’t think people took me seriously and I couldn’t see myself ever reaching the level of the other Para powerlifters,” she said. 

“I doubted myself constantly.” 

Cowlishaw turned down training sessions and declined competitions, convincing herself work and life were simply too busy. 

“Looking back, they were just excuses,” she said. “The real reason was that I didn’t believe I was ready.” 

But Bergner wouldn’t let her walk away. When Cowlishaw told him she was no longer interested, he encouraged her to return to training and give it one more chance. 

Cowlishaw’s first competition came in Thirroul at the NSW Grand Prix. She did not win, but she left knowing there was more to discover. 

“I remember walking away thinking, ‘I’ve got so much more to give,’” she said. 

By Adelaide, 52 kilograms was no longer the ceiling. Sophie Cowlishaw – the athlete – was beginning to emerge. 

“The numbers on the bar have been improving,” Bergner said. 

“But the biggest thing I’ve seen with Sophie so far is her mindset to competing and performing at a higher level has really changed.

“She has come from being very nervous initially and unsure about even competing to now being, ‘Hey, I want to be the best Para powerlifter I can be’.” 

Cowlishaw said Para powerlifting had made her “mentally stronger more than anything”. 

“Yes, I’ve become physically stronger, but the confidence, resilience and self-belief I’ve gained have had a much bigger impact on my life.

“I’m a completely different person to who I was a year ago.” 

As she prepares for the upcoming Grand Prix, Cowlishaw’s focus is simply to hit another personal best. 

“I don’t worry too much about where I place compared to everyone else. I’m really competing against myself.” 

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