A few months ago, Weightlifting Wales’s rising star, Evelyn Thomas, was invited to compete at the Irish Invitational Para Powerlifting Championships, taking place over in Dublin on the Saturday 5th July. A World Para Powerlifting (WPPO) recognised event, this was to be Evelyn’s first full international event, which she was ready to embrace.

After intense training in the weeks building up to the event at her home club of Strength Academy Wales (SAW) in Haverfordwest, it became to time to fly over to Dublin. Evelyn was scheduled to take to the platform in group 4 in mid afternoon on event day, where she competed in the women’s 67kg category.

With the guidance of her coach, Simon Roach, Evelyn delivered a standout performance with making successful lifts in each of her 3 attempts, signifying her outstanding ability to her fellow competitors on what was a high level Women’s 67 kg lineup. Her first attempt at 67kg just about made it through just about okay after a 2-to-1 majority by the technical officials as a good lift. This didn’t hamper Evelyn’s confidence as she strode to the platform for her second attempt of 69kg, which she immaculately delivered on. When it came to her final lift of the competition, Evelyn opted to go for 71kg, which would make it a PB for her. Evelyn’s sheer determination pushed her through where she managed to successfully make the lift to both the delight of herself and Simon, as well as the watching live crowd. A fantastic set of performances Evelyn should be very proud of.

As a result of all this, Evelyn managed to claim multiple honours in the Women’s 67kg category:

• 3rd place as a best lift of 71kg
• 1st place in the total lifts with 207kg
• Winner of the Women’s Next Gen award

In a stellar display of skill and composure, these three honours are a remarkable accomplishment for Evelyn’s first senior international outing. At just 18 years old, this marks an important milestone in Evelyn’s development from domestic lifter to competing for her country on the international stage. A 71 kg lift at an international invitational signals her readiness for future World Para Powerlifting (WPPO) competitions in the timed ahead.

This sort of news helps to be a shining example of the success emerging from Weightlifting Wales’s development programmes associated with Para Powerlifting. We are very proud of Evelyn, and hope she can become an amazing role model for even more participating para powerlifters across Wales.
 

Evelyn Thomas crowned SBD Young Para Powerlifter of the Year – 2024

Additionally to last weekend’s achievements for Evelyn, Weightlifting Wales are celebrating the recent winning of the Evelyn for the SBD Young Para Powerlifter of the Year, at the 2024 British Weight Lifting Annual Achievement Awards. This prestigious national accolade recognises both her competitive excellence and her inspirational progression within para powerlifting.

Evelyn burst on the Para Powerlifting scene within 2024 with a string of remarkable performances across domestic and international competitions. Despite her young age (having only recently turned 18), Evelyn has already distinguished herself as one of the leading para powerlifting athletes in the UK.

At domestic level, Evelyn set numerous Welsh records in 2024 at both Welsh Open event, as well as the Welsh Senior Championships. These performance secured her on the Weightlifting Wales development squad and confirmed her status as a future star of the sport.

Her progress throughout 2024 culminated in a commanding performance at the Irish Para Powerlifting National Championships, lifted a best of 70 kg and earning the Best Rookie Award — an impressive feat for her international debut.

Evelyn Thomas is not just a potential champion in the making—she is already a trailblazer for young para-athletes in Wales and the whole UK. Her story is a testament to what focused training, strong support systems, and unshakeable determination can achieve, and why she is worthy for such awards.