Australia names record-breaking squad for World Championships in Cairo

Paralympics Australia has announced a record 15 athletes have been selected to compete at the Cairo 2025 World Para Powerlifting Championships. The team was announced at the end of the Paralympics Australia Para-Powerlifting National Championships at RACV Resorts Royal Pines on the Gold Coast on Saturday (5 July).

The team is three times larger than the one that represented Australia at the last edition of the World Championships in Dubai, UAE two years ago.  

Team Australia will be headed by Paris 2024 Paralympic Games representatives Hani Watson (women’s over 86kg) and Ben Wright (men’s up to 88kg), who also competed at Dubai 2023 alongside Parry Mouhtaris (men’s up to 88kg) and Patricia Wallace (women’s up to 86kg)

The team going to Cairo includes a group of athletes spanning a wide range of weight classes. Among those to watch is Justin Marafioti, who competes in the over 107kg and brings great strength from a background in bodybuilding, and lightweight female lifter Jade Pritchard, who is training consistently after recently implementing some technique improvements.  

Rising star Dylan Braan, who also competes in the men’s over 107kg, has improved rapidly over the past two years, technically and by weight lifted.  

“I competed at a World Cup event in Thailand last year and my personal best at that stage was 153. Now I’m lifting about 175,” said Braan, who trains five days a week, consisting of four bench days and one cardio day.  

“When I started, I couldn’t really lift that heavy and my coach, Simon [Para powerlifting head coach Simon Bergner], he said, ‘No, you don’t want to lift heavy just yet. You just want the technique down’. With technique comes the strength and the heavier weights. And that’s what happened.  

“I’ll talk to my coach and we’ll see where I’m at before the World Championships. We’ll probably put a little goal there, whether it’s 180 or 185, or something like that. The biggest goal is to get no reds, to get all good lifts, all greens.” 

Bergner said Braan’s work ethic had him on track for success, though he is just one of a team brimming with potential.  

“This is the biggest team we’ve taken to a World Championships,” Bergner said.  

“We’ve got some really great high-performance athletes and some athletes that are early in their journey and have an opportunity to compete at a major international event. 

“Having Hani and Ben there will be really good for the team. They can provide a lot of their knowledge of what it’s like competing at the highest level, which will help some of the newer athletes to feel calmer under pressure.” 

Big lifts, goals, and record-breaking moments 💥

The 2025 Para-powerlifting National Championships brought the heat to the Gold Coast, with PBs, fierce competition and an official team on their way to Egypt!

Catch all the highlights from an unforgettable weekend on the bench. pic.twitter.com/f4mzpLwBuP

— AUS Paralympic Team (@AUSParalympics) July 7, 2025

World Championships is a major qualification pathway event for the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games and a lure for the Australians – as is the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow next year. 

“We’ll be holding some development camps and some high-performance camps over the next few months,” he said. “And the plan is to be in Egypt nice and early so we can get used to the time zone and get some team training done there before the competition starts.” 

A strong outcome for Braan could have him on track for a berth at LA. He also has his eyes on Brisbane 2032 Paralympics.  

“To get to the Paralympics, I have to be in the top eight, which at this stage is about 230 kilos,” he said.  

“But, doing powerlifting, not only am I physically strong, but I think I’m mentally stronger than I was. It’s just a lovely community as well. My coach is awesome. I’m looking forward for the future.”

Team Australia at Cairo 2025

Women's Events
•    Jade Pritchard – Up to 55kg
•    Natasha Price – Up to 61kg
•    Shanaya Soni – Up to 79kg
•    Hani Watson – Over 86kg
•    Rachel Coady – Over 86kg
•    Patricia Wallace – Up to 86kg
Men's Events
•    Daniel Bos – Up to 54kg
•    Jamie Clarke – Up to 65kg
•    Adam Sheppard – Up to 80kg
•    Daniel McCoy – Up to 80kg
•    Ben Wright – Up to 88kg
•    Parry Mouhtaris – Up to 88kg
•    Charles Taylor – Over 107kg
•    Dylan Braan – Over 107kg
•    Justin Marafioti – Over 107kg