Athletes from across the Home Nations came together in Bangor on Sunday 13 September for the inaugural Para Powerlifting Home Nations Open, with Canolfan Brailsford providing the stage for a fantastic day of competition and showcasing the continued growth of Para Powerlifting.

Delivered by Weightlifting Wales in partnership with Disability Sport Wales and British Weight Lifting, the competition formed part of the 2026 Disability Sport Wales. The event also provided an important opportunity to showcase Para Powerlifting and create further competition opportunities for athletes across Wales, England and Scotland to compete together on the same platform. 

Four competition groups took place throughout the day, with athletes competing in Women's Lightweight (-61kg), Men's Lightweight (-72kg), Women's Heavyweight (+61kg) and Men's Heavyweight (+72kg) categories. Rather than simply comparing the best weight lifted, final positions were determined using the pDOTS coefficient, which provides a way of comparing performances across different bodyweights and is the 'Sinclair' system used within Para Powerlifting. All athletes produced a series of impressive performances, with competitive battles and international standard lifting making for an exciting day of competition in Bangor. 

The competition featured five Welsh athletes, each proudly giving their all on home soil. 

In the Women's Lightweight -61kg category, Sara Jones successfully completing her opening 55kg attempt before progressing to 60kg for her best lift score. Sara finished fifth in the group with a pDOTS score of 53.50. Whereas for Hannah Harvey, a fantastic 72kg lift put her in the podium places with a pDOTS score of 67.19. The competition provided Sara and Hannah with valuable experience of competing on a Home Nations level against some of the best internationally in Lottie McGuiness and Olivia Broome.

In the Women's Heavyweight group, development squad athlete Evelyn Thomas produced an excellent performance, successfully completing all three of her attempts and overtaking her personal best. Evelyn opened with 84kg before progressing to 87kg and then 90kg on her final attempt, which she should be so proud with. A pDOTS score of 75.51 saw Evelyn finish third in the group. It was a strong demonstration of consistency and composure, with Evelyn using her international competition experience to deliver another personal best performance.

One of the strongest Welsh performances of the day came from Joshua Grist in the Men's Lightweight category. Joshua opened his competition with a successful 150kg lift before increasing the weight to 156kg, which he successfully completed on his second attempt. He then took 161kg for his third attempt. Although the final lift was unsuccessful, his 156kg best lift produced an impressive 132.70 pDOTS score. That result saw Joshua finish second in the group, just behind Scotland's Finlay Davidson. It was an excellent performance from Joshua and demonstrated his ability to compete strongly against athletes from across the Home Nations.

In the Men's Heavyweight competition, Wales' John Reginald Certeza also delivered a strong performance. John opened with 120kg before successfully progressing to 125kg and then 131kg on his final attempt. Completing all three lifts, John recorded a a pDOTS score of 88.00, finishing third in the group. His performance provided another example of the consistency and confidence displayed by all our Welsh athletes throughout the competition.

Weightlifting Wales would like to thank Disability Sport Wales and British Weight Lifting for their partnership in delivering the event. Disability Sport Wales' support through the Para Sport Festival helped make the competition possible, while British Weight Lifting's Para Powerlifting performance pathway coaching team continue to provide world class support and coaching for our British team.

We would also like to extend its thanks to all the technical officials, coaches, loaders, volunteers, venue staff, photographers, supporters, and families who helped make the event such a success. As well as thanking Bangor University for allowing us to host us the competition at the excellent Canolfan Brailsford venue.

This Home Nations Open provides another positive step forward for Para Powerlifting in Wales. With athletes continuing to develop and more opportunities being created to compete, the future of the sport in Wales is an exciting one. The performances in Bangor demonstrated the commitment and ability of athletes from across the Home Nations and provided plenty of inspiration for those looking to take their next steps in Para Powerlifting.

Congratulations to all the athletes who competed, and particularly to our Welsh lifters who have showed tremendous progression in recent years.