Para powerlifter Hani Watson is familiar with pain. So much so, she’s given it a nickname.
“I call it Nigel and Nigel is always there,” she laughed.
The para athlete was born with bilateral metaphyseal dysplasia, which bowed her tibia and femur bones and means she has to live with “24/7 bone cracking pain”. In the past year, Watson has had multiple surgeries on her legs to help deal with it.
But on Friday evening in Glasgow, Watson, a bronze medallist at Birmingham in 2022, banished “Nigel” to secure bronze again with a 147-kilogram lift in front of a roaring crowd at the SEC Armadillo.
“It’s still very surreal,” she said afterwards, proudly wearing her medal and a beaming smile.
“It’s been a hard training session, hard sort of getting to where we are today. I didn’t actually think I was going to hit the numbers that coach asked ... but I just blocked it out.
“I didn’t want to know, and I just went balls out and just hit it.”
Watson started the competition well, easily clearing her starting weight of 140kg and briefly occupying the top spot on the leaderboard before Nigerian champion Folashade Oluwafemiayo lifted an extraordinary 165kg, setting a Commonwealth Games record.
Watson stayed steady, letting out a warrior-like cry on her second attempt to clear 144kg and followed it with third lift of 147kg to secure third place. Dusting the chalk off her hands, she embraced her coach while the Aussies in the crowd leapt to their feet.
Oluwafemiayo powered through a 175kg lift to set a world record and clinch gold, while Nigerian compatriot Rita Ferdinard rounded out the podium with a 158kg lift for silver
Strength runs in Watson’s blood. Her father Charlie was a bodybuilder who used to bicep-curl his daughter when she was younger. He would often tell Watson to “focus on your superpower”.
He died when she was just 17 years old.
Watson said she thought of her parents right before she lifted the bar.
“I sat the edge of that bench, and I said what my mum said to me, ‘You got this darling’. You know, I said to my mum and I said to my dad, ‘Help me lift this bar’ and they did exactly that.”
The Queenslander’s Birmingham win broke Australia’s 16-year medal drought in the sport.
She became the first Australian woman to medal in the event, and two years later qualified for the Paralympics in Paris.
Watson has undergone at least a dozen operations over the past decade including double osteotomies on both legs – a surgical procure involving the cutting or reshaping of bones.
But in July 2025, Watson posted on social media telling her followers her pain had increased over the last six months, forcing her to “sedate and elevate” and rest, spending time with her dogs.
“Not the life I saw happening, and it makes me hella nervous… but I get to still do something quite unique,” she posted.
“And on the bright side, I don’t need legs to bench press!”
After several surgeries and some time off, Watson was back and in April she was named Australia women’s heavyweight representative for the Commonwealth Games.
She won’t stop at winning bronze. Watson has the LA Paralympics in her sights and wants the Australian public and the world to keep backing para powerlifting.
“I want to keep people excited about para powerlifting,” she said. ” It’s a very, very hard sport to do … So that’s a big dream of mine.
“Getting to LA is another one, and then obviously back in Brisbane 2032, and ensuring that we’re setting up for a very good Para and Olympic Games.”
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