19 September 2025
2025 IWF World Championships - Førde, Norway
Welsh weightlifters Laura Hughes and Bethan Watkins flew the flag with distinction at the 2025 IWF World Weightlifting Championships in Førde, Norway — representing Wales and the Home Nations with professionalism, pride, and promise. Competing against the very best in the world, both athletes gained valuable international experience and delivered strong performances that show clear progression in their pathways.
The event, hosted between 2–11 October, marked the return of the World Championships to Europe and saw over 700 athletes from around the globe descend on the scenic Norwegian town of Førde. Both Bethan and Laura were selected to compete under the British Weight Lifting Home Nations programme as they were unable to compete at the Commonwealth Championships. Thus, giving them the opportunity to measure themselves against the highest standard of global competition, as they look to try to meet the qualification standards for the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.
Bethan Watkins competed in the Women’s 63 kg category (group C) as a guest Home Nations/Commonwealth Weightlifting Federation entrant. Her lifts went as follows:
- Snatch attempts: 78 kg (successful), 81 kg (miss), 81 kg (miss)
- Clean & Jerk attempts: 98 kg (successful), 101 kg (miss), 101 kg (miss)
- Total: 176 kg
While this total is a performance which Bethan recognises has slight areas for improvement, it reflects a solid showing and a benchmark for her future growth at international and national events.
Bethan’s performance demonstrates resilience in a highly competitive field, especially given the pressure of a World Championship environment. The experience will be valuable in future competitions.
Meanwhile, Laura Hughes competed in the Women’s 77 kg category (group C) as a Home Nations/Commonwealth Weightlifting Federation guest entrant as well. Her performance details were as follows:
- Snatch attempts: 88 kg (successful), 91 kg (miss), 92 kg (successful)
- Clean & Jerk attempts: 115 kg (successful), 119 kg (successful), 122 kg (successful)
- Total: 214 kg
Her 214 kg total reflects a strong and well‑executed competition, as she came out as 2nd overall for her group. Laura’s ability to convert all three of her clean & jerk lifts (115, 119, 122) into valid results is a highlight of her showing. Laura's performance stands her in good stead, offering her a valuable experience on such a big stage, where she can look to build on this for future adjustments in training, and on to upcoming competitions.
2025 Para Powerlifting World Championships - Cairo, Egypt
In a landmark outing at the 2025 World Para Powerlifting Championships in Cairo, Evelyn Thomas delivered one of her most mature and composed performances on the international stage as she came away with two silver medals — cementing her status amongst rising stars in Welsh Para lifting.
This year’s championships was the 11th edition of the competition, held in Egypt’s New Capital Sports Hall, which marked a historic first with the World Para Powerlifting event being hosted on African soil. The competition format included a “Rookie & Next Gen” events (9–10 October) followed by the Elite competition (11–18 October). Evelyn, selected by British Weight Lifting under the Home Nations pathway as part of the Welsh representation, entered the competition as part of the "Next Gen” ranks in the women's 67kg category.
Moving on to competition results, Evelyn successfully lifted 3 from 3 for the day as she benched: 69kg, 72kg, 75kg - giving a total of 216kg. This outstanding performance by Evelyn was good enough for a place on the podium at both the best lift (of 75kg), and as the total combined, which was to the the delight of herself and her coach Simon Roach.
Evelyn travelled to Cairo with strong aspirations, and her selection itself was a vote of confidence and a brilliant achievement as a reward for her rapid development in recent years. But to deliver a performance marked by consistency, technical composure, and competitive poise is something Evelyn should be very proud of.
Competing against the world’s best in Cairo gives Evelyn invaluable exposure to elite competition under high pressure as she build towards future international competitions. Evelyn’s progress is a beacon for younger para-athletes in Wales. Her pathway—from national to international levels—symbolises what is possible with commitment, support, and strategic coaching.
Celebrating Weightlifting Wales Success
Weightlifting Wales congratulates all the athletes, as well as our Coaches (Gareth Evans and Simon Roach), and Team Manager (Christian Pszyk) who helped make these recent international events for us a success. Alongside key collaboration with British Weightlifting (BWL),
With the 2025 IWF World Championships and recent 2025 Commonwealth Championships also acting as a Commonwealth Games qualifier, the performances in Førde and Ahmedabad have built a strong base for the road to the next Games and beyond.
Thank You to Our Partners
This success would not have been possible without the ongoing support of our partners, and funding bodies, comprising of National Lottery and the Welsh Government. Their commitment to Weightlifting Wales and our athletes to give them the opportunity to compete at the highest level, develop through the performance pathways, and proudly represent their nation is greatly appreciated by all. A huge thanks go to them.
