TEAM WALES ENJOY STRONG SHOWING AT BRITISH BENCH 2026
British Bench 2026 took place in Maidstone, Kent over 28 February and 1 March, and it was a really strong weekend for the Welsh team, with plenty of medals, two new Welsh records, and a lot of good performances across the board.
Starting with the women, Violet Stones took bronze in the Women’s Classic 69kg Junior class with 87.5kg. In the Women’s Classic 76kg Junior class, Aleksandra Zawada put in a brilliant performance to take silver with 95kg, setting a new Welsh record in the process.
There was gold for Delyth Jones in the Women’s Classic 69kg Master 1 class, also benching 87.5kg. In the Women’s Classic 52kg Master 2 class, Angelina Lane claimed gold with 62.5kg, while Samantha Heighway made it another top finish for Wales in the Women’s Classic 63kg Master 2 class, taking gold with 67.5kg and a new Welsh record. Helen Carrington added yet another gold in the Women’s Classic 84kg Master 2 class with 90kg.
In the open women’s classes, Amy Martin took silver in the Women’s Classic 69kg Open class with 92.5kg, and Sarah Finch followed with bronze in the same class on 87.5kg. Amy Wright topped the Women’s Classic 76kg Open class with 97.5kg to take gold, and Caitlin Davies rounded things off in style with gold in the Women’s Classic 84+kg Open class, putting up a strong 110kg.
On the men’s side, Josh Wall took bronze in the Men’s Classic 105kg Junior class with a huge 175kg bench, while Joshua Nelson-Piney placed fourth in the same class with 160kg. In the sub-junior classes, Riley White took gold in the Men’s Classic 74kg class with 122.5kg, and Jack Hallett finished fourth in the Men’s Classic 93kg class with 135kg.
Overall, it was a weekend with a lot of gold medals for Wales, and plenty for the team to be proud of. It was also especially nice to have Welsh lifters competing on the Sunday, St David’s Day, with Welsh cakes being shared around the team throughout the day.
Now attention turns to World Bench in Warsaw, Poland in late May, where it’ll be exciting to see which Welsh lifters receive invitations.
Well done to everyone who represented Wales over the weekend.
Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus.
