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Sydney Wilson

@srwbandit

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6x Team 🇨🇦 - IPF 63kg (19) 🏋️‍♀️
🥈Worlds ‘24 🥇🥉Commonwealths ‘26
MechE @carletonpowerlifting President
CANPL and WPPO Coach
Chronic Illness Advocate💜

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IPF Bench Worlds 2026 🌍
Warsaw, Poland 🇵🇱

4th in the World - 63kg Junior
🏆 Best Junior Women’s Team - Canada 🇨🇦

90kg / 198.5lbs ⚪️⚪️⚪️
95kg / 209.5lbs ⚪️⚪️⚪️ +2.5kg
100kg / 220.5lbs 🔴🔴🔴 🥉 attempt (+7.5kg)

BW: 62.72kg / 138.3lbs | 19 Years Old

What a day it was.

I am super proud of how this meet went. Coming into this prep, I had very little confidence in my bench. At every competition this year I fell short of my bench goals and kept getting stopped by the same mental barrier on my second attempt. This time, we broke through that.

Not only did I secure my second attempt with all white lights, but we had the opportunity to load for a medal position. Loading 100kg for the first time, and doing it on the world stage, was such a surreal experience. Even though I missed it, I am incredibly grateful I had the chance to take that swing, because that is what powerlifting is all about.

This prep was far from easy. Chronic illness has taught me how to adapt, and this prep demanded exactly that. On top of navigating the challenges I face day to day, I suffered a disc injury six weeks out. I went from being unable to bench without severe pain to finishing as the 4th strongest Junior bench presser in the world while being one of the youngest athletes in the class.

I am especially proud of the work that went into adapting my bench technique over these last few months following the rule changes and earning all white lights on my successful attempts.

A huge thank you to everyone who helped make this prep and trip to Poland possible. To my partner, coach, friends, and family, thank you for the constant support through all the highs and lows of this journey. And especially to my mom, thank you for everything you did to help make this travel and experience possible. I could not have done it without you.

Poland, you were unforgettable ❤️🇵🇱

My 4th World Championship is officially complete 🫶 taken in Warsaw, Poland by @srwbandit

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5 months ago

🥈Bench World Championships 🌎

My first ever World Championship and I placed second in the world on bodyweight!! I am so incredibly proud of my performance, and I know I have so much more in the tank for 3-Lift Worlds in Malta!! 🇲🇹

🥈57kg Subjunior
BW: 56.65kg / 124.9lbs

70kg / 154.4lbs ⚪️⚪️⚪️
75kg / 165.4lbs ⚪️⚪️⚪️ +2.5kg
77.5kg / 170.9lbs ⚪️⚪️⚪️ +5kg ATPR HOLY COW
🇨🇦 All Time National Record!! (It flew omg)

I hit 80kg / 176.4lbs in the back for funsies, which would have won gold 😳 1.41x BW is so unbelievable to me!!

9/9 White Lights on the WORLD STAGE!! That’s insane!! I’m so incredibly proud of how much my technical abilities and confidence have developed while competing at the highest level!!

This year has been full of ups and downs with my training and health, so I’m so proud of how far I’ve come while surpassing what anyone thought possible. From thinking I’d never lift again in February to placing second at the World Championships. Honestly, anything is possible if you put your mind to it. I benched 55kg a year ago, and now I’m benching 77.5kg! I can’t wait to see what I can do in the Juniors next year!!

#powerlifting #powerliftingmotivation #powerliftingwomen #womenempowerment #womensupportingwomen #womeninfitness #ontariopowerliftingassociation #canadianpowerlifting #teamcanada #team #canada #ipfbenchworlds #ipf #ipfpowerlifting #ipfworlds #ipfbenchworlds2024 #canadianpowerlifting #gym #gymmotivation #gymrat #gymgirl #gymaddict #gymlifestyle by @srwbandit

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2 years ago

Happy thanksgiving from our little family to yours 🎃🦃 taken in Saunders Farm by @srwbandit

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5 days ago

2026 Commonwealth 3-Lift 63kg Jr 🥉🇨🇦

Squat: 155kg / 342lbs (PR match) (tied 🥉)
Bench: 95kg / 210lbs (+5kg) 🥈
Deadlift: 177.5kg / 391lbs (+5kg) 🥉
Total: 427.5kg / 943lbs (+10kg) 🥉

7/9 lifts — 20/27 white lights 🫶

BW: 62.3kg / 137.4lbs — 19 years old
GL: 94.21
DOTS: 462.93

We did what we came here for, and I couldn’t be prouder!! ❤️

I came into Commonwealths with 3 goals: win Bench-Only, win Best Junior Lifter in Bench-Only, and podium in 3-Lift. I came here hoping at least 2 of those 3 goals would come true, and somehow I’m leaving having accomplished all three. My heart is so so full. 🫶

It wasn’t quite the total I was hoping for, but I’m proud of how I handled the day and controlled what I could. It was an incredibly fast-paced session, which put a lot of pressure on my lungs, especially coming into 3-Lift already feeling not so good. I also had to adapt to new technical bench calls, but I came back out, fixed it, and hit the weight again.

More than anything, I’m proud of what it took to get to this platform.

This prep was far from easy. Between a lower back injury, constant chronic illness flares, emergency dental surgery, and everything else my body threw at me, this prep looked completely different from what I had planned. Some weeks were about pushing, while others were about doing what my body allowed and finding a way forward.

Squats took the biggest hit from my back injury, so still matching my best platform squat at 155kg means so much more because of what it took to get back there.

This prep wasn’t perfect, and neither was the meet. But I kept showing up, adapted when I needed to, controlled what I could, and walked away with my first international 3-Lift podium.

Thank you so much to my incredible friends and family for all the support throughout this prep and on meet day. Every message, check-in, and person cheering me on means more than you know. None of it ever goes unnoticed, and you all mean the world to me. 🫶

And finally, I still can’t believe I can say, that I’ve finally redeemed myself from Nationals. This one really meant a lot.

I’ve got 3 more years in the Juniors, and I can’t wait to see what I can do. 🇨🇦❤️ taken in Winnipeg, Manitoba by @srwbandit

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24 days ago

Commonwealth 63kg Jr Bench Champion 🥇
+ Best Jr Lifter 🏆

85kg / 176.4lbs ⚪️⚪️⚪️
90kg / 198.5lbs ⚪️⚪️⚪️
Scratched my third (Did some handshakes ❤️❤️)

BW 62.58kg / 137.99lbs - 19 y/o

The only word I have is wow.

My first international win and my first international Best Lifter award, all on my planned opening attempt for 3-Lift. 🥹

Standing on top of that podium meant more to me than I can put into words. It’s been over two years since I’ve been able to stand on an international podium, and now I’ve finally done it again—a weight class and an age class above. I’m shocked, I’m grateful, and I’m so so happy.

What made it even more special was doing it surrounded by so many people I love. My grandparents got to watch me compete internationally for the first time, alongside my parents and all of Riley’s incredible friends and family. Having that many people there cheering me on meant the absolute world to me. ❤️

And to know I had so much more left in the tank and still walked away with the win and Best Lifter makes me incredibly proud of how far I’ve come.

Thank you so much to every single person who supported me, whether you were there in person, watching the livestream, or cheering me on from afar. I felt all of it. ❤️

Chronic illness and injury have made this prep unpredictable in just about every way possible, but I can finally say: I did it.

And if there’s one thing I want you to take from my experience, it’s that one day, you can too.

Keep your head up high, my loves. You are worth it. You are deserving. And you are worth celebrating.

Keep being you. Keep showing up. Not only for your friends and family, but for that version of yourself stuck in a hospital bed wondering if you’ll ever get your chance.

One day, you will.

Keep fighting. ❤️

Now it’s time to dial back in.

See you all Saturday, where I’ll leave absolutely everything I have on that platform. 🇨🇦❤️

A big big thank you to Susan and Brock for hosting an amazing meet 🫶

#powerlifting #teamcanada #theipf #commonwealthpowerlifting #womenempowerment taken in Winnipeg, Manitoba by @srwbandit

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a month ago

Thank you so much to @innerstrengthproducts and @sbdcanada for sending me this lovely kit!

See you all soon on the platform!!

#powerlifting #powerliftingwomen #teamcanada #gymmotivation #canadapowerlifting by @srwbandit

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a month ago

Taper take me awayyyy 🤭🫶

See you all in Winnipeg this week!!!

#powerlifting #powerliftingwomen #teamcanada #chronicillness #injuryrecovery taken in A Foot Above Fitness by @srwbandit

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a month ago

Couldn’t be happier!! Completely pain free too!! See you in Winnipeg ❤️

11 Days Out - Bench-Only
13 Days Out - 3-Lift

First time using @cleangrip.ca 🫶 taken in A Foot Above Fitness by @srwbandit

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a month ago

“Health is a crown that the healthy wear, but only the sick can see.”

Remember that movement is a privilege. Independence is a privilege. Waking up and being able to take on the day without wondering whether your body will cooperate is a privilege.

Live your life to the fullest. Live in the present. The future is never guaranteed.

One day, you can feel like you’re on top of the world and in the best shape of your life. You can travel, train, go to school, make plans months in advance and never question whether your body will allow you to follow through with them. Meanwhile, someone else is lying in bed mourning the body they once had.

I know because I became that person.

At 16 years old, I had the privilege of exploring the world as an exchange student. I could walk around for hours, experience new places and simply trust that my body would carry me through the day. I never stopped to think about how lucky I was to have that freedom, because I never imagined it could be taken away from me.

Now, at 19, I find myself mourning the body I had at 15.

Over the years, several incurable chronic illnesses have slowly changed what my body is capable of. I have watched things that once came effortlessly become difficult. I’ve had to think about things I never imagined I’d have to think about at this age.

Will I be able to get out of bed tomorrow?
Will I be able to take care of myself?
Will my body let me do the things I love?
Will there ever be a treatment that gives me some of what I’ve lost back?

There is a very particular kind of grief that comes with remembering exactly what your body used to be capable of while still living inside the body that can no longer do those things.

And yet, I’m still here.

I’m still lifting. I’m still chasing goals. I’m still finding ways to experience this life, even when it looks different from the one I thought I would have.

Chronic illness has changed the way I look at life because it taught me just how quickly “normal” can become something you would give anything to have back.

Anyone can become sick. There isn’t always a warning, and there isn’t always a cure.

So please, don’t wait for someday.

Continued in comments 👇 by @srwbandit

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a month ago

Happy Canada Day 🇨🇦🍁

Every time I get the chance to represent Canada, it feels just as special as the first.

🇺🇸 Austin, Texas, USA
🇲🇹 St. Paul’s Bay, Malta
🇳🇴 Drammen, Norway
🇵🇱 Warsaw, Poland

It is crazy to think this all started in little old Belle River, Ontario, at the Power Pit.

Thank you to everyone who’s been a part of my journey, especially my friends and family who have supported me from home and travelled across the world to cheer me on. I’ll never take wearing the maple leaf for granted. ❤️🍁 taken in Canada by @srwbandit

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4 months ago

Bench Worlds ‘26 in Photos 📷🫶

📍Warsaw, Poland 🇵🇱

📸 @whitelightsmedia.uk (you guys killed it!!) taken in Warsaw, Poland by @srwbandit

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4 months ago

Some days my body wins.

Some days I win.

But every time I step onto the platform, I get another chance to fight.

That is my why.

#chronicillness #chronicillnesscommunity #chronicillnessawareness #chronicillnesswarrior #powerlifting by @srwbandit

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4 months ago