Irish Wheelchair Rugby hungry for European Championships Success
The Irish athletes will compete between October 10th to October 18th, with some hoping to make a successful start in their quest to LA 2028 and others making their World Championships debut.
Hoping to add to their medal collection at the Junior World Championship are Cork’s Niamh Buckley and Cavan-native, Casey Fitzgerald. They’ll both be first to represent Ireland when they take to the bench on Friday 10th October before they also compete in the Senior World Championships.
These World Championships in Cairo mark the beginning of the journey to qualify for the 2028 Paralympic Games in LA. They are the first of the mandatory competitions, Para Powerlifters must compete in, to qualify for the Paralympic Games. More than 700 athletes from around the world will compete in various weight classes at these Championships, which are being held on the African continent for the first time.
While it will mark the beginning of the journey to LA for the likes of Sean Hughes, Niamh Buckley and Casey Fitzgerald, it’s also a World Championships debut for Dublin’s, Michael O’Cearra. Michael has played Wheelchair Basketball with Killester Wheelchair Basketball Club, and more recently crowned a World Champion at the Hyrox World Championships in Chicago this summer.
Completing the Irish line-up is Cork-man Ruairi Devlin, who’s moved up a weight category since his last World Championship appearance and hoping his training will pay off.
“Preparation has gone really well. I think back to how good I felt at the Irish Invitationals in July, where I had one of my best performances to date with two perfect lifts. Multiply that feeling by a hundred and you’re still not close.
“My strength, form, and especially my bar speed have all taken big steps forward. I’m moving heavy weight like it’s nothing. I’m extremely confident heading into Cairo and I fully expect to come away with new Personal Bests.”
Supporting the Irish athletes in Cairo are Performance Director and Head Coach, Roy Guerin; Team Manager, Aileen Buckley; Assistant Coach, Tadhg Buckley; Assistant Coach, Brian Foy.
The Para Powerlifting World Championships began for Ireland on Friday 10th October where Niamh Buckley and Casey Fitzgerald competed in the Next Gen events of their respective categories.
It was an early start for those watching online, when Cork woman Niamh Buckley competed at 7:00am IST in the Up to 61kg Category.
Buckley opened up her competition with a good lift of 73kg. It was when she returned for her second lift of 77kg, she was red flagged on the press sequence. However, not to be deterred, Niamh attempted to claim a new lifetime best and set a new European record again on her final lift.
Entering the press sequence, Niamh really had to fight the bar to complete the lift. It felt like a life time as the judges’ verdict was waited upon. But nervous anticipation turned into jubilation when three white flags were raised as she claimed the gold medal, along with a new European record and life time best as well.
Speaking on her record-breaking lift, Assistant Coach and father, Tadhg Buckley shared with IWA-Sport the outstanding effort Niamh put in to ensure her place in the history books.
“The lockout at the end of the lift is what the press sequence is judged on. Niamh’s excellent lockout was what saved the lift. That’s why she got three white flags from the judges, which isn’t common.”
A fantastic moment for the Paralympic hopeful, who will return to action on Wednesday 15th October in the Senior Competition.
Later on in the day, Casey Fitzgerald was up from the Irish team, competing in the Up to 73kg Category.
The Cavan woman, who is also hoping to be competing in LA in three years time at the Paralympics, opened her competition with a good lift of 84kg.
Fitzgerald moved up to attempt 87kg but was red flagged on her press sequence. An athlete known for her determination amongst the Irish Para Powerlifting and Para Sport community, she returned to the bench and attempted to lift 87kg again.
It was second time’s a charm for Casey who successfully completed the lift. In the process, claiming not only a new personal best, but a silver medal in the Up to 73kg Category and a bronze medal for Overall Lift too.
The first of the Irish Para Powerlifters to compete in the Senior Championships was Michael O’Cearra of Dublin. The Hyrox World Champion was making his World Championships debut, competing in the Up to 80kg Category.
O’Cearra made his international debut when competing in the Irish Invitationals earlier this year and was looking to make an impact at his first World Championships.
The Former Killester Wheelchair Basketball Club player opened at 121kg but was unsuccessful with the judges flagging him down for his press sequence. A second attempt at 121kg was marked as no lift again but this time for his stop sequence.
A frustrating competition for Michael, he returned for his final lift, this time at 128kg at the hopes of keeping up with the rest of the pack and to get on the board with a big weight. However, his first World Championships unfortunately ended with no lifts registered, as the 128kg attempt was red flagged for his press sequence.
A learning moment for the Dublin man on the World stage but one we know he’ll bounce back from.
Early Sunday morning, Kinsale’s Ruairi Devlin was in the spotlight, competing in the Up to 88kg Category.
Moving up a weight category since his last appearance at a World Championships, Ruairi began his competition with the bar racked to 123kg. Great power and control in Devlin’s lift, he received two white flags to get off to a good start.
The Cork man had a new personal best in his sights, with the hope of lifting 127kg. While there was no issue with lifting the weight, it was the press sequence where he fell short, with his lockout uneven. Attempting again to make the lift, Ruairi had the bar set to 127kg.
Just like his first attempt at 127kg, there was no issues with the power in the lift but just unable to lockout evenly.
Devlin ended the competition 7th in his group and just short of setting a new personal best. It’s a good baseline moving forward, with plenty of room to improve.
The fourth day of the Para Powerlifting World Championships saw Casey Fitzgerald return to action, hoping to add to her success from the Junior Championships just days before.
After claiming a bronze and silver medal three days earlier in the Junior competition, Casey began her senior competition with ambitions of matching her lifetime best of 85kg. Without breaking a sweat, Fitzgerald did so, getting off to a perfect start in the Up to 73kg Category.
The second round had the Cavan Para Powerlifter looking to push her boundaries with 88kg placed on the bar. A composed lift from Casey was rewarded with three white flags and a new lifetime best set. The confirmation was received with a classic Fitzgerald celebration, arms in the air and a jubilant roar.
For her final lift, Casey attempted to quickly up her lifetime best by lifting 90kg. Unfortunately it wasn’t to be when she was marked down for her press sequence.
In a competitive category, Casey finished in 5th place in her group and 4th place for overall weight lifted. A very impressive competition at the beginning of her pathway to LA 2028.
On the second to last day for the Irish Para Powerlifters, it was a return to action for Niamh Buckley, who had a phenomenal start to her World Championships in the Junior World Championships.
Competing in the Up to 61kg Category, Niamh began with a lift of 74kg. After setting a new European Record last week with a heavier weight, it came as no surprise that this attempt was deemed a good lift.
Buckley had her eyes set on a new Lifetime Best at senior level with the bar set to 78kg. Continuing to have an outstanding competition, she received three white lights and a new Lifetime Best for her efforts.
The lift temporarily put her in first place for overall lifted and for the final attempt, Niamh aimed to break her freshly set Lifetime Best. With 80kg set on the bar, the Cork woman recognised her error before she even completed the lift.
Flagged down for her stop sequence, when she raised the bar back up too quickly from her chest. A shake of the head as she raised the bar back up, knowing it wasn’t going to be good enough.
In the end it was a 4th place finish within her group to close her appearance at the World Championships. One she and everyone else won’t forget for a long time.
Rounding out Ireland’s appearance at the Para Powerlifting World Championships in Cairo was Sean Hughes. Competing in the Up to 93kg Category, the Meath powerlifter was aiming to get his bid to qualify for the 2028 Paralympic Games off to a flying start.
Opening at 155kg, Hughes had no quarrels in completing the lift and getting on the board.
It was his second lift where he went to push himself and hope to set a new Irish record and Lifetime Best of 160kg. His confidence was high after a successful competition at the Irish Invitationals earlier this summer and a strong training camp leading up to the World Championships.
A fantastic lift from Sean was awarded with three white flags from the judges, officially making it a new Lifetime Best and Irish record and two great lifts on the leaderboard.
When he returned to the bench for his final lift, he looked to make his newly set Lifetime Best shortly lived by going for 162kg. It looked like a good lift at first but Sean was marked down for his stop sequence, much to his surprise.
An appeal was put in and the lift was assessed by the judges watching from a separate room but the decision was upheld.
Two out of three lifts, along with a new Irish record and Lifetime Best placed Hughes fourth in his group.
| Para Powerlifting World Championships – Cairo, Egypt 9-18 October 2025 | ||||
| Athlete | Competition | Date | Category | Result |
| Niamh Buckley | Junior World Championships | Friday 10th October | Up to 61kg | Gold medal European Record – 78kg |
| Casey Fitzgerald | Junior World Championships | Friday 10th October | Up to 73kg | Silver medal in total lift. Bronze medal in overall lift Personal Best of 87kg |
| Michael O’Cearra | Senior World Championships | Saturday 11th October | Up to 80kg | No lift x 3 |
| Ruairi Devlin | Senior World Championships | Sunday 12th October | Up to 80kg | 7th in group 35th overall 1 successful lift – 123kg |
| Casey Fitzgerald | Senior World Championships | Monday 13th October | Up to 73kg | 4th place overall Lifetime Best of 88kg |
| Niamh Buckley | Senior World Championships | Wednesday 14th October | Up to 61kg | 4th place overall Lifetime Best of 78kg |
| Sean Hughes | Senior World Championships | Thursday 15th October | Up to 97kg | 4th in group New Irish Record Lifetime Best 160kg |
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