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Australian Para-powerlifting star Hani Watson has set her sights on a winning a medal at the World Championships in Cairo, declaring ‘I’m going to knock a few people off that podium’.
The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games representative, affectionately known to her many fans as the ‘Bench Queen’, heads a record 14 athletes selected to Australia’s team for the championships, including fellow Paris 2024 powerlifter Ben Wright, as well as several LA 2028 Games aspirants.
“This is my third worlds now, so I’m becoming a veteran,” Watson said. “Someone called me an old hag, but I’ll take that on.
“I really want to hit that podium. I’m going to knock a few people off that podium. It would be my first time. I definitely want to lift as well as I can.”
Watson said her goal for the entire team was: “We definitely want to see green lights across the board. Three good lifts, have a great day here for Australia. That’s the main aim that I’d like to see everyone achieve.”
The 11th World Championships – the first held in Africa – is set to be the largest of its kind, with approximately 650 lifters from 71 nations competing. Daniel Bos, who competes in the men’s 54 kilograms class, was Australia’s flag bearer at the Opening Ceremony on Friday. The first Australian in action will be Shanaya Soni, in the women’s 79 kilograms class, on Saturday.
Watson said the team had settled well after travelling. When asked about her advice to her teammates, she said: “We talked about manifesting positivity and how you do that when you feel unsure and are in a new environment and don’t know what’s going to happen.
“I said, ‘You know what? Wake up in the morning and look at yourself and tell yourself how sexy and beautiful you are, just to start off on a very positive vibe. Then get under that bar and say, ‘I can do this, I’ve got it – and then do it’.
The squad was announced at the end of Paralympics Australia’s Para-Powerlifting National Championships, held at RACV Resorts Royal Pines on the Gold Coast in July. It includes athletes spanning a wide range of weight classes, from Justin Marafioti, who competes in the over 107-kilogram class and brings great strength from a background in bodybuilding, to lightweight female lifter Jade Pritchard.
Among the athletes to watch is Dylan Braan, who competes in the men’s over 107-kilogram class.
“I competed at a World Cup event in Thailand last year and my personal best at that stage was 153,” Braan said at the time of his selection. “Now I’m lifting about 175.
“When I started, I couldn’t really lift that heavy and my coach, Simon [Para-powerlifting head coach Simon Bergner] said, ‘No, you don’t want to lift heavy just yet. You just want the technique down’. With technique comes the strength and the heavier weights. And that’s what happened.”
The World Para-Powerlifting Championships take place in Cairo from October 11 to 18.
Live results – https://www.paralympic.org/powerlifting/live-results
Live stream – https://www.youtube.com/@paralympics
By David Sygall, Paralympics Australia.
Published 10 October, 2025.
