In this episode, we feature 41-year-old Hani Watson from Brisbane, who'll be competing at the Paralympics in Paris as Australia's first female para powerlifter in twelve years. Hani was born with bilateral metaphysical dysplasia which bowed her tibia and femur bones, resulting in numerous surgeries and painful recoveries. She was introduced to powerlifting at an early age, yet becoming a Paralympian never crossed Hani's mind until a few years ago.
In 2021, she was classified for the sport and competed at the World Championships in Georgia, breaking an Oceana record and finishing 8th overall at only her second competition. Hani also broke Australia's 16-year medal drought in the sport when she won bronze in the women's heavyweight at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham 2022 with a best lift of 127 kg. Our interviewer Emily caught up with Hani before she flew out to Paris and started by asking her how her journey in powerlifting first began.
