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By Sarah Dyce<\/em><\/p>\n Overview<\/b><\/p>\n Australia\u2019s six-strong Para Powerlifting team blends three athletes with Commonwealth Games experience and three debutants, spanning both weight categories on the Glasgow 2026 program.<\/span><\/p>\n In the women\u2019s competition, debutants Natasha Price<\/strong> (QLD) and Jade Pritchard<\/strong> (NSW) contest the lightweight, while Hani Watson<\/strong> (QLD) lines up in the heavyweight. On the men\u2019s side, debutant Daniel Bos<\/strong> (NSW) fights it out in the lightweight, joined in the heavyweight by Benjamin Wright<\/strong> (WA) and Cameron Whittington<\/strong> (NSW).<\/span><\/p>\n At 29, Bos is the youngest member of the squad, while Price, 45, is the most experienced by age. NSW leads the state representation with three athletes, followed by two from Queensland and one from Western Australia.<\/span><\/p>\n Ones to Watch<\/b><\/p>\n Australia<\/b><\/p>\n Wright is preparing for a fourth Commonwealth Games appearance, becoming the first Australian Para Powerlifter to reach the milestone after competing at Glasgow 2014, Gold Coast 2018 and Birmingham 2022, where he won bronze in the men\u2019s heavyweight.<\/span><\/p>\n Watson broke a 16-year Australian medal drought in the sport with bronze in the women\u2019s heavyweight at Birmingham 2022 and returns to Glasgow aiming higher.<\/span><\/p>\n Bos, who mixes powerlifting with acting, will make his Commonwealth Games debut in the men\u2019s lightweight.<\/span><\/p>\n International<\/b><\/p>\n Malaysia\u2019s Bonnie Bunyau Gustin<\/strong> won men\u2019s lightweight gold at Birmingham 2022 and then set a world record lift to win gold at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, returning to Glasgow as the man to beat.<\/span><\/p>\n Nigeria\u2019s Folashade Oluwafemiayo<\/strong> dominates the women\u2019s heavyweight: gold at Birmingham 2022, a world record lift for gold at Paris 2024, and a further improvement on that record in Cairo last year. Birmingham 2022 also produced a rare break from Nigerian dominance, with England\u2019s Zoe Newson<\/strong> winning the women\u2019s lightweight before retiring from the sport, and India\u2019s Sudhir Sudhir<\/strong> originally winning the men\u2019s heavyweight before a later disqualification handed gold to Nigerian runner-up Ikechukwu Obichukwu<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n Sport Format<\/b><\/p>\n Para Powerlifting is contested exclusively in the bench press, open to athletes with a physical disability including cerebral palsy, spinal cord or nerve injury, short stature or limb loss. Unlike most Para sports, athletes aren\u2019t classified by disability type: they\u2019re deemed eligible to compete and then allocated to a weight class based on bodyweight.<\/span><\/p>\n Of the sport\u2019s 10 international weight classes, only two are contested at the Commonwealth Games: lightweight (up to 72kg for men, up to 61kg for women) and heavyweight (over those thresholds). Each category is decided by a single straight final across three rounds, with lifters attempting in order of the weight they\u2019ve nominated and the bar never lowered within a round.<\/span><\/p>\n Lifters lie flat on a specially designed 2.1m x 61cm bench that narrows to 30cm at the head. After the start signal, they lower the bar to their chest, hold it motionless, then press it to arms\u2019 length with locked elbows. Once the bar is held steady, the \u201crack\u201d signal is given and the bar is returned. Three referees each control a white light for a successful lift and a red light for a no lift.<\/span><\/p>\n Athletes get three attempts, with two minutes to complete each lift once the bar is loaded, and their best successful lift determines their result. A fourth attempt, with a three-minute time limit, may be permitted at the jury\u2019s discretion for a world record attempt, though it doesn\u2019t count towards the final result.<\/span><\/p>\n Medals are decided using the International Paralympic Committee\u2019s AH (Haleczko) Formula, which multiplies each athlete\u2019s best lift by a coefficient based on their bodyweight, meaning the athlete who lifts the most weight doesn\u2019t always win gold. Where two athletes record the same score, the lighter lifter is ranked higher.<\/span><\/p>\n Competition Schedule<\/b><\/p>\n Para Powerlifting runs entirely on Friday 24 July 2026 (Day One) at the SEC Armadillo on the Scottish Event Campus, with all four medal events, finals and medal ceremonies decided across two sessions on the same day (times listed are GMT+1).<\/span><\/p>\n Session one runs from 1pm to 4pm, featuring the Men\u2019s Lightweight and Women\u2019s Lightweight finals and medal ceremonies. Session two runs from 6pm to 9pm, featuring the Women\u2019s Heavyweight and Men\u2019s Heavyweight finals and medal ceremonies.<\/span><\/p>\n Fast Facts<\/b><\/p>\nBarbells will bend and history will be made when Para Powerlifting opens the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, with Australia\u2019s largest-ever team in the sport chasing the very first gold medals awarded at the Games. All four Para Powerlifting titles will be decided on Day One, the earliest medals handed out at Glasgow 2026.<\/span><\/h4>\n