Hani Watson

Hani Watson is a powerhouse in the sport of powerlifting.

The Queenslander broke Australia’s 16-year medal drought in the sport, when she won bronze in the women’s heavyweight in Birmingham with a best lift of 127kg – nearly 30kg more than her body weight.

Hani takes inspiration from her father, Charlie, who was a bodybuilder. She spent a lot of time in the gym growing up, joining him doing curls and bench presses.

Hani was born with bilateral metaphyseal dysplasia, which bowed her tibia and femur bones. She underwent several surgeries as a result. She was encouraged by her father to give the sport a go, teaching her she can do anything with upper body strength, it’s that lesson that Hani uses as her ‘superpower’.

She soon joined forces with Australian para-powerlifting coach Simon Bergner and began powerlifting competitively in 2018. A year later she was classified and then competing at the 2021 World Championships in Georgia, breaking an Oceania record and finishing 8th overall at only her second competition.

A gold medal at the 2022 Para-Powerlifting Brisbane Classic opened the door for her selection for the Commonwealth Games.

Now, she’s got her eyes on the Paralympics, something that would be the ultimate achievement.