Medal haul at the World Para Powerlifting World Cup 2023

Great news for GB para powerlifting as all four athletes that attended the World Para Powerlifting Tbilisi World Cup 2023 gained a podium spot! This incredible achievement is a testament to the hard work and dedication of these remarkable athletes, who have trained tirelessly to compete at the highest level in para powerlifting.

The team compromised of Lottie McGuinness, Olivia Broome, Rebecca Bedford and Mattie Harding. They all competed as individuals between 29 April – 1 May, with Lottie, Olivia and Rebecca also entering the team event on 1 May.

Lottie was first to compete on Saturday 29 April in the women’s 55kg category.

Lottie had an exceptional performance, making all three lifts of 89kg, 92kg and 94kg for a lifetime best. This put her in second place giving her a silver medal in the bench, and due to her consistency, a gold medal in the total and pushing her into the top eight qualification slot for Paris when you remove any second athlete from the rankings.

Olivia Broome also competed in the women’s 55kg category.

Olivia’s first lift of 111kg was unfortunately no lifted for the press sequence. Undeterred, Olivia added 5kg to the bar and made 116kg on her second attempt for a lifetime best. Olivia then had a go at 118kg but unfortunately it was not to be. Fortunately, the 116kg bench was more than enough to push her into first place, gaining a gold medal for the bench.

Sunday 30 April saw Rebecca Bedford take to the platform in the women’s 61kg category.

Rebecca hit her first lift of 92kg. For her second lift she came out for a lifetime best of 96kg but unfortunately it was no lifted. However she came out for her third attempt at the same weight and was successful. This fantastic performance gave Becky a lifetime best, a silver medal and retained her seventh place spot in the Paris 2024 qualification rankings.

Mattie Harding competed on Monday 1 May in the men’s 72kg category.

Mattie’s first lift of 177kg was given a no lift. The team put in a lift challenge however it was rejected. For his second lift he came out for a lifetime best of 181kg which he secured. He came out for final lift of 184kg, putting an extra 3kg on the lifetime best he’d just achieved, however it was given a no lift and despite putting in a lift challenge it was rejected.

This fantastic performance gave Mattie a lifetime best of 181kg and bronze medal. This performance also improved Mattie’s Paris 2024 ranking to sixth.

Following this set of incredible performances, Olivia Lottie and Rebecca took to the platform again on 1 May in the women’s team event, a first for our UK athletes. Despite maximal efforts in the prior days, the women’s team put on an incredible show.

Lottie successfully lifted 88kg and 90kg. Rebecca successfully lifted 88kg and 90kg. Olivia successfully lifted 100kg and 105kg.

These lifts secured them silver in the team event with Ukraine taking gold and Kazakhstan taking bronze.

British Weight Lifting would like to congratulate the team on their exceptional performances on the day and all their hard work in training. Of note is Ben Richens for his contribution to Lottie and Rebecca’s competition preparations. Thanks are extended to UK Sport, Sport England and The National Lottery for their continued support. British Weight Lifting would also like to thank the Dwarf Sports Association for their ongoing collaboration with the World Class Program. The team comprises of a growing number of DSA members who we can celebrate together.