Huge success for Tipperary powerlifter on world stage
Solohead woman Bláthnaid O'Dwyer has produced a superb performance on the international stage
Solohead woman Bláthnaid O'Dwyer has produced a superb performance on the international stage, claiming four medals and the title of Vice World Champion at the 2026 World Powerlifting Championships in South Africa.
The 22-year-old competed for Ireland in the Junior 47kg category at the championships in Sun City and returned with an outstanding medal haul across the squat, bench press and deadlift disciplines.
Bláthnaid secured a bronze medal in the squat, silver in the bench press and bronze in the deadlift, with her combined performance earning her the overall silver medal and the title of Junior Vice World Champion in the 47kg class.The result represents another major step in what has already been a remarkable rise through the sport for the young Solohead athlete.
A former student of St Ailbe’s School in Tipperary Town, Bláthnaid only began powerlifting three years ago but has quickly established herself as one of Ireland’s most exciting young competitors.
After taking up the sport, her progress was rapid and she earned selection for the Irish international team during only her second year of competitive powerlifting.
Bláthnaid won the Junior National Championships in both 2025 and 2026, breaking multiple Irish junior and open records along the way. She also claimed the Open National title in 2025.Bláthnaid's success in South Africa follows valuable international experience gained during 2025.
She represented Ireland at the World Championships in Costa Rica, where she finished fifth in her category. She also competed at the European Championships in Lithuania in 2025 and again achieved an impressive fifth-place finish.
Those performances provided a platform for an even bigger breakthrough in 2026, culminating in her silver-medal overall finish at the World Championships in Sun City.In the space of just three years, the Solohead woman has progressed from taking up the sport to winning national titles, setting Irish records, representing her country at European and World level and now standing on a World Championship podium.
Bláthnaid trains at Urban Barbell in Limerick and is coached by Ian Benson, with the partnership helping her continue to develop at national and international level.
Her performances will also be a source of tremendous pride for her family and the wider Solohead and Tipperary Town communities. Bláthnaid is the daughter of Kieran and Jane O'Dwyer, both of whom have strong connections with education in Tipperary Town. Kieran is vice-principal at St Ailbe’s School, while Jane is a teacher at St Anne’s.From a fifth-place finish on the world stage in Costa Rica in 2025 to becoming Vice World Champion in South Africa in 2026, Bláthnaid’s progress has been exceptional.
Still only 22 and with just three years in the sport behind her, her four-medal haul at this year’s World Championships marks the latest chapter in a powerlifting career that continues to go from strength to strength.Congratulations to Bláthnaid, her coach Ian Benson and her proud family on a magnificent achievement for Solohead, Tipperary and Ireland, and thank you to Stevie O'Donnell for providing me with the information for this report.