Hani Watson PLY

Come along with @benchqueen for a day in the life of a Para-powerlifter training for the #Paris2024 Paralympic Games! @mizunoaustralia | #Mizuno #Paralympics

Hani Watson (@benchqueen ) has spent a lifetime redefining strength. Born with bilateral leg metapheseal dysplasia, a rare condition that causes severely bowed legs, Hani has endured over 20 operations since childhood. At age 10, surgeons removed her growth plates to prevent further deterioration. At 31, both legs were surgically broken and reconstructed in a last effort to restore alignment. But the surgeries didn’t work, and the pain never stopped. As her mobility declined, she shifted her focus to what she could control - the power in her upper body. At age 41, she made history as Australia’s first female powerlifter to represent Australia at the Paralympics in 16 years. “ I’ve endured so much to be able to get where I am. These scars, I look at them, and they’re a constant reminder of that. They make me unique. They make me stronger.” Directed and edited by @jarradseng Footage by @redhandedmedia Special thanks to @rechargeco #thestoryofscars

Thank you @ninecomau for not leaving me any tissues! Fun fact. I just walked out of the ICU to do this interview because I was so determined for the Aussie people to see what Para-Powerlifting is, and build a massive team for Brisbane 2032. Watching this back… I have a lot to be grateful for, and one of those people is @simonbergner_strengthcoach I couldn’t have done it without you! Now back to work, we’ve got LA to prep for! 👑 #parapowerliter #powerlifting #paralympian #benchqueen #bench #channelnine #paris2024 #ausparalympics #brisbane2032 #LA2028 #aussieathlete #mycoach #qldacademysport #bulknutrients #builtstrong

I’m still here! A lot happening behind the scenes! New relationships have merged! And we’re getting stronger each day!! As mumma said ‘I was born to do this!’ Keep watching this space 📸 👑 #CommonwealthGames2026 #ParalympicAthlete #ParaPowerliftingAustralia

Even as a bencher, I’ve gotta work the glutes & abductors 👀 #RoadToGlasgow2026 #ComGames #LegRehab #prehab101

Let’s have an honest chat about what life can be like for a Paralympian 🔈 Just in the last year I’ve had 3 major operations on my legs, and I have two more coming before ComGames to try and help me keep my legs all whilst trying to keep independence and employed, but I’ve struggled to keep that with NDIS and my employer MaterQld all because my disability became the road block, but silver lining is my disability became a gift. Make that make sense 🤯 ABC Journo Jon Healy pretty much sums up everything for now. 📝 Pain is not a classification for sport, my congenital birth defect is, but pain is the byproduct of the past failed surgeries and attempts for me to keep my legs. But for now, I focus my energy towards keeping my legs, growing my sport, bringing home medals, mentoring athletes and helping grow the excitement for Brisbane 2032. #6YearsToGo My coach @simonbergner_strengthcoach and the team @parapowerliftingaustralia want to give every opportunity to every Aussie athlete who wants to give this sport a go. This sport is not without its main backers of @ausparalympics @asc @theais_ @qldacademysport all state sporting centres, and the local gyms who are joining forces with @parapowerliftingaustralia to make it accessible and more inclusive. If you want to be a part of Australia’s growing team or a gym where we can place a specialised bench, please reach out. Head to our website ParaPowerlifting Australia or to our Instagram Page @parapowerliftingaustralia to find the links there. Until next time. Enjoy the read, and help keep sport inclusive for all, you never know the lives it changes. Thank you to everyone who still continues to stand by me, including my friends, family but these legends here too 👇 @parapowerliftingaustralia @ausparalympics @brisbane2032 @bulknutrients @qldacademysport @asc @knobby @aami_insurance @moxiesportsmanagement @cocos_gym @wattlenest @nspcentre @bupaaustralia 📰 Link In Bio and Stories Bupa Come and Try Day in Brisbane this weekend at the Nissan Arena, come meet me and have a chat about where ParaPowerlifting can take you. LINK IN BIO ✌️

I can’t wait to see how our Aus team lifts in @glasgow_2026 make sure you give them a follow 🙌 Aussie Team 🇦🇺 @bosaye @bench_press_boss_2302 @the_invincable_woman @benny_wright87 @cam_w_powerlifter @benchqueen Head Coach @simonbergner_strengthcoach Assistant Coach/Physio @sewastrong Team Manager @kimannafrances 👑

If I’m going to be on the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games team with the Bench Queen, I can’t show myself up… #ChallengeAccepted #TeamAustralia #TeamBuilding #StrongWomen #BuildingStrength

Glasgow bound ✈️ Congrats to @benchqueen on her selection to the Para Powerlifting team, set to wear the green and gold 💪👏

Oh how times have changed 🤭 #ComGamesAnnouncementDay #AussieAthlete #FullStackTricepBaby #CocosGym #GoldCoast

Our Para Powerlifting team is LOCKED IN and headed to @glasgow_2026 😮‍💨

Steel doesn’t ask who you are— it only asks what you’ll give. In quiet gyms before sunrise, where chalk hangs like mist in the air, we build more than muscle— we build proof. Proof that limits are stories meant to be rewritten. Bars bend, plates clash, the platform waits without mercy, but we roll forward anyway— strapped in grit, fueled by something deeper than strength. This is Australian para-powerlifting: not just force, but fire. Every lift carries a history— of setbacks that didn’t stick, of pain that didn’t win, of voices that said “can’t” and were answered with action. We are resilience in motion, determination made visible, courage that doesn’t shout— it shows up, again and again. When the bar is loaded with more than weight— with expectation, doubt, pressure— we press through all of it. Because fighting isn’t always loud. Sometimes it’s a steady breath, a locked gaze, a final push when everything says stop. And when the lift goes up— so do we. Not just stronger, but unbreakable. - 2026 Asia-Oceania Championships