On Saturday 13th September 2025 Pembrokeshire Sports Village, within Strength Academy Wales in Haverfordwest was the location that hosted a thrilling combined competition day: the Welsh Autumn Open alongside the Welsh Masters Open. Lifters from across Wales — youth, masters, para powerlifting and open categories gathered to test their strength, execute new personal bests, and perform on the competition platform. The event was well attended by participants and spectators alike, with full of promising performances across the board to show for it.

With the platform buzzing from morning until early evening, the day displayed the depth of talent developing in Wales, combining with the brilliant competition spirit everyone owned. It was great to see youth lifters making their first competitive steps at a national event, while on the other hand we had masters athletes proving that strength and skill has no age limit.

Below are some of the highlights, standout results, and observations from the day.

Group 1 – Youth Girls (W44 to W69) – Welsh Autumn Open

The opening session of the day highlighted some of Wales’ youngest female lifters, of whom some was the first participation at a tier 2 event.

•  Hazel Williams (Strength Academy Wales, W58) lifted with impressive maturity in familiar surroundings of her home club, finishing with a three figure kg total (45kg snatch, 56kg clean & jerk), to round up a Sinclair score of just over 143.
• All of Sienna Jones’ (Evolve Weightlifting, W63) training in the build to competition had paid off as she was rewarded with a fabulous performance of a 110kg total (47kg + 63kg). Sienna was doing superbly going up by 3kg on her clean and jerks but unfortunately just missed out a successfully completing a 66kg final attempt. However, Sienna did edge out of top of the Sinclair battle within this whole session, with a score of 145.11.
• Poppy James (Evolve Weightlifting, W69), Zuzanna Trojakova (Llanelli Weightlifting Academy, Under 12’s), Arianwen Williams (Llanelli Weightlifting Academy, W58), and Martha Cull (unattached, W69) all possessed tremendous consistency by going 6 from 6 successful lifts which should be commended and is a great achievement for all four of them to build on going into future competitions.
• Bella Ryan and Lilly Roach also showed promising technique in the under 12 category, gaining valuable platform experience that will stand them in good stead for future events. Where for the first time ever at a national Weightlifting Wales event, all under 12’s results were purely totalled by technical points alone, with all falling under the one category as no weigh ins were recorded. A brilliant step in the right direction from a safeguarding perspective to help harness lifters weightlifting technique at that age and not worry about their weight while their bodies are naturally developing.

This session underlined the progress of female youth lifting in Wales, with many athletes improving from past performances.

Group 2 – Youth Boys and Men (M60 to M110+) – Welsh Autumn Open

The second group featured all of the male lifters from the Welsh Autumn Open, where confidence and progression were the main themes that stood out from the performances in this session.

• Zach John (Strength Academy Wales, M60) lifted a 91 kg total as part of going 6 from 6 successful lifts from the day, finishing with a Sinclair score of 145.70. Elsewhere in this category, Sion Coleman (Evolve Weightlifting) managed to rectify a strong showing after some tricky moments in his snatches to earn himself a 142kg total (60/82), and a gold medal for winning his category.
• Theo Graham (Evolve Weightlifting, M71) also took home a gold medal, after strong lifts in his clean & jerks contributing to a 200kg total.
• Louis Williams (Evolve Weightlifting, M79) secured an impressive Sinclair score of over 200 as he went 64kg in the snatch and 90kg in the clean and jerk to record a 154 total.
• Cameron Lewis (M94) and Rhys Taplin (M110+) both also had sub 200 Sinclair scores after some great lifting.

• The M88 category with Ollie Ebenezer (Unattached) and Daniel Davies (Strength Academy Wales) both wowed the supporting crowd with some superb performances. A 280kg total for Ollie (126 + 154), and a 251kg total for Daniel (110 + 141) with going 6/6 too, were both outstanding to witness and a testament to their hard work in preparation for this event. However, it was Ollie who came out on top and earned a gold medal as well as top spot in the Sinclair points for this session with a score of 342.48.

   

Group 3 – Para Powerlifting

Para powerlifting athletes were integrated into the day’s schedule as part of the Welsh Autumn Open, showcasing their strength and determination in what was a high quality field.

• In the women’s side we had Welsh athlete Sara Jones (Llanelli Weightlifting Academy) and Miranda Button competing in the W55, with Miranda coming out top with an 84kg best bench press. Ahead of her competing in Egypt at the World Para Powerlifting Championships, Evelyn Thomas (Strength Academy Wales, W67) delivered 3 successful lifts from 3 as she achieved a 75kg best lift.
• For the men, Ethan Backhurst in the M49 shone through to achieve the best male Wilks Coefficient with a super best bench press of 80kg. Joshua Grist and Craig Walton benched also did brilliantly by both benching over 100kg.

Here’s hoping we can build on this success in the para powerlifting group and see even more people participate after getting inspiration from these great lifters.

Group 4 – Welsh Masters Open, Women

Experience and resilience took centre stage in the Masters women’s categories.

• Lindsay Atkinson (Club 646 Weightlifting, W63) produced 62kg in the snatch and 80kg in the clean & jerk, totalling 142kg for a Sinclair of 209.66.
• Penny Pearson (Unattached, W77) was equally consistent, totalling 156kg (73kg + 83kg) for a Sinclair of 209.96 — the best among the Masters women after just piping Lindsay.

Across the board, Masters women lifted with control and composure, inspiring the younger lifters watching from the audience.

Group 5 – Welsh Masters Open, Men

The men’s masters group was packed with power and discipline, which featured one of our board members, Ross Miller, and some athletes who have returned to the platform after a long time away.

• Lloyd Griffith (New Wave Weightlifting, M79) was in superb form, posting a 186kg total (84kg + 102kg) for a Sinclair above 270, placing him among the top male lifters overall for the day, as well as best male masters lifter. Paul Chandler in the same category falling just slightly behind with a 129kg total (54/75).
• Tom Bennett (New Wave Weightlifting, M94) followed with a tidy 173kg total (78kg + 95kg), enough to secure a place on top spot on the podium and a gold medal.

 Group 6 – Women’s Seniors (W53 to W86+) – Welsh Autumn Open

 The final group of the day saw the senior women step onto the stage, and they did not disappoint.

• Holly Knowles (New Wave Weightlifting) delivered one of the day’s best female totals with 162kg (68kg + 94kg), securing both a win in her category and a Sinclair above 200.
• Bethan Watkins (Unattached) raised the bar even further with a commanding 180kg total (80kg + 100kg), which translated into the top female Sinclair score of the entire Autumn Open event at 236.

Behind them, athletes across the different categories posted strong numbers, with several pushing on personal achievements and improvements from their last competitions.

The Welsh Masters Open and Autumn Open was a day that truly captured the spirit of Weightlifting Wales. The blend of emerging youth talent, experienced masters athletes, and international para powerlifting lifters highlights the depth of the community and sets the stage for a bright future. As athletes turn their focus to upcoming club competitions, international events and winter competitions, everyone will have their eyes on the next Weightlifting Wales national event – the Welsh Senior Championships and Welsh Open across the weekend of the 22nd and 23rd November, in Bangor.

Weightlifting Wales extends sincere thanks to all lifters, coaches, technical officials, volunteers, loaders, event staff, and spectators, for helping create such a successful event. A big thank you also goes to the venue and Strength Academy Wales for helping provide such an outstanding facility to host such an event. And one last thank you to Christopher Baker (general secretary of British Masters Weightlifting) for sponsoring the medals and best lifter trophies.

The full list of results can be found either through Sport 80 or on the uploaded scoresheet from the competition results page on the Weightlifting Wales website.

Celebrating Support from The National Lottery & Welsh Government

Weightlifting Wales is a proud recipient of National Lottery and Welsh Government funding, which plays a vital role in helping us grow and strengthen the sport across Wales.

For over 30 years, The National Lottery has been a game changer for Welsh sport – funding elite athletes, supporting grassroots clubs, and investing in world-class facilities. This continued investment allows us to provide opportunities for people of all ages and abilities, from community programmes to international pathways.

Thanks to this public investment, we can support more lifters, coaches, and volunteers, and create inclusive environments where strength brings people together.

You can find out more about how National Lottery players are making amazing things happen across the UK by visiting www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk.