This weekend at the British Bench Press Championships 2025, Carole O’Neil Managing Partner at Cundall broke the British Record, that was previously held for two years, with a 98kg lift. She left the competition with a gold medal, a personal best and an invitation to become part of the 2025 Team GBR Squad.

Winning and securing a spot on Team GB for Bench Worlds and taking 98kg for a spin were two goals Carole set out for herself for the competition, both of which she achieved successfully.

Commenting on her accomplishment, Carole said:

“I had a blast this weekend, hanging out with friends from the powerlifting community, and putting up some numbers that exceeded my expectations. It feels pretty awesome to be able to call myself a British record holder!

“More importantly, though, this whole sport relies on an army of volunteers to make it work, so it was great to be able to give back by spending a few hours refereeing some of the other groups, once I’d finished lifting.”

Talking about her future goals and ambitions in the sport, Carole said:

“Having made the Team GBR Squad, I have Squads in Sheffield in March, following which I hope to be travelling to Norway in May for the International Powerlifting Federation Bench Press World Championships. After that, it will be a fairly short turnaround for Full Power Nationals in Surrey in June and, hopefully, some further tours of international duty in bench press and three-lift competitions later in the year.  I’ve also recently been promoted to National Referee status, so I’ll be filling up a few weekends with official duties at regional and national competitions over the next few months.”

Last year, Carole won a gold, silver and bronze medal at the Commonwealth Powerlifting Federation Championships in South Africa.