Australia’s ‘Bench Queen’ on her salvation — the gym

Growing up, para powerlifter, Hani Watson’s passion for lifting had been ignited by her dad and the pack of Arnold Schwarzenegger-types in their string singlets who would accompany him to lift weights. The gym has seen Hani through agonising moments in life, and all the way to the Paralympic Games. Warning: discussion of sexual assault.Throughout her childhood she was having operation after painful operation, to try to straighten her bowed legs.After each surgery, the metal pins and screws would wreak havoc in Hani’s legs, and they resumed growing in the same way they always had.In high school, ruptures at home meant Hani had to move out and support herself, and she lost touch with her mum. During this distressing time, a kindly school principal gave Hani the keys to the school gym, and that place became an anchor once more.After another unsuccessful surgery in her 30s, Hani was enjoying the freedom of a wheelchair, compared to the agonising and exhausting effort of walking.She turned to powerlifting to recover, which led her to worldwide competitions, eventually earning a bronze medal at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022. Hani also competed at the 2024 Paris Paralympics.Further informationIf you need support, you can chat online with someone at Lifeline, or call on 13 11 14.Hani won a bronze medal for Australia in Glasgow at this year’s Commonwealth Games! Read more here.This episode was produced by Alice Moldovan. Conversations' Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison.This episode covers weightlifting, powerlifting, para-powerlifting, paralympian, disability, athlete, bowed legs, osteotomies, plates and screws in your leg, divorce, marriage, trauma, domestic violence, family violence, mental health, mental illness, psychosis, weight training, drugs, drug mule, marijuana, high school, bullying, popular kids, assault, sexual assault, competition, bunnings, wheelchair, VAD, QVAD, voluntary assisted dying and chores. To binge even more great episodes of the 'Conversations podcast' with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, singers, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.