Sport
14 June, 2026
Hogan, Busbridge excel at Powerlifting titles
Horsham powerlifters Ben Hogan and Katelyn Busbridge had a competition to remember at the Australian Powerlifting Championships South Division at West Brunswick on Sunday, May 31.
Hogan, club manager and personal trainer at Anytime Fitness Horsham, took out the men’s 85kg division with a 242kg squat, a 164kg bench press and a 263kg deadlift to total 669kg.
The performance was the day's largest overall lift, earning him the best male lifter title at the championships.
A former national champion, Hogan was happy with his performance, particularly given that he needed to cut 7kg in less than two months prior to the competition.
“I was a bit nervous when I weighed myself, and I was 83.3kg, so I cut a bit too much,” he said.
“But it was awesome to win the weight division, and I also managed to beat all the other weight divisions.
“Having the best power-to-weight ratio as well, I was awarded best lifter.
“So that was really good to take home, and dropping down to this class just felt a lot better.”
Competing in her first-ever competition, Busbridge completed a 90kg squat, a 50kg bench press and a 120kg deadlift to finish with 260kg overall, which earned her second place in the 64kg women’s category.
Overjoyed at the experience, Busbridge was elated with the support of everyone competing.
“It was one of the best experiences I've ever had,” she said.
“Everyone was so nice and supportive; it didn't feel like a competition.
“It felt like everyone wasn’t competing against each other; they were competing against themselves more, and everyone cheered for each other.”
The competition saw Hogan complete his qualification to become an official powerlifting coach, allowing him to coach Busbridge.
Having only recently taken up powerlifting, the coach was proud of how Busbridge approached and competed.
“She signed up a bit late, so she had to change plan and adjust it, but everything went to plan,” Hogan said.
“She listened very well on the day, and because of the adrenaline, the nerves can get to you; sometimes you pick your own numbers, and you fail.
“So I would check in with Katelyn and say ‘let's go with this,’ and she's goes, ‘yep, whatever you say.’
“She ended up completing eight out of nine lifts, which is really good for a first comp.
“She did a phenomenal job; it was awesome to watch.”
Busbridge will now turn her attention to the Oceania Powerlifting Championships in September at Melbourne, where she will compete alongside fellow Horsham lifter Paul Sanders.
Having qualified for the world stage with his national performance, Hogan will spend the remainder of the year preparing for the World Powerlifting Championships, which take place in Mumbai during December.