Comfort comes from a crossfit background and only recently started to explore the world of powerlifting. Seven years of strength training in any discipline gives you a solid base though, and this was on display throughout Comfort’s performance at Euros.
It wasn’t her first appearance on the international stage: she competed for Team Ireland at the Western Europeans Championships in Malta back in September. It’s a small international and a great springboard into competing on the world’s stage.
The 2025 European Open Classic Powerlifting Championships were held in Malaga, Spain over the course of six busy days and Comfort was part of a 14 strong Irish team, lifting on the final day of competition.
Squat went well. Comfort got off to a good start with 157.5kg - her heaviest opener yet. She looked relaxed and happy as she approached the platform, resplendent in the Team Eire singlet. It moved well and she added 10kg for her second. This one slowed her down a little, but it was still smooth and showed no sign of a sticking point.
With confidence boosted, she took 175kg for her final squat, to match her competition best from Irish nationals last November. Her right knee folded in a little at the bottom, making it a tough ascent. But she was equal to the task and muscled it all the way to the top for a successful lift.
Bench press has been going great for Comfort recently. She put up 102.5kg at the Irish bench nationals in December for an impressive 7.5kg personal best. However, it’s rarely possible to match a bench only performance at a full power meet due to the impact of low bar squats on your back and shoulders.
Comfort opened at the same weight as at bench nationals - 92.5kg - but took a smaller jump of 5kg to her second, a smart move. It went, but it was clearly getting close to her limit. She took the smallest jump allowed, going up to 100kg for her third bench. She made a valiant attempt at it but to no avail. However, 97.5kg was still more than she had ever done in a full power competition and you can’t be too upset about a PB on the international platform.
Comfort’s opening deadlift was fast off the floor but just took a moment to lock out - not the typical way round for a sumo stance. At 177.5kg it was the highest opener she had ever taken, and deadlifts just got better and better.
She jumped up to 192.5kg for her second - a big jump for some but a conservative increment for Comfort. It was just as fast as her opener and she took a moment to acknowledge the cheers of the crowd, raising her hands in a heart shape as she left the platform.
At final deadlifts, one lifter had scratched which left an already small flight even smaller, and recovery time was limited. However, this played well for Comfort. Unlike many powerlifters, she habitually trains with very short timed breaks and she was not perturbed at all by the fast turnaround.
For her final lift of the day, Comfort took 202.5kg - more than she had ever attempted before in competition. Completely unfazed as she waited in the wings for the bar to be ready, she laughed and joked with the team coach. She was all business once she was called to the platform though. Setting her sumo stance, she bent and gripped the bar and began to pull. The Irish team in the crowd roared their support as the weight went directly to lockout and a big grin spread across Comfort’s face. Not only a deadlift PB, but a total PB as well.
This was a great day's work and a performance to be proud of. Eight out of nine good lifts and, even more than that, Comfort maintained a confident, relaxed and happy demeanour throughout. It was great to see that the pressure didn’t get to her and she obviously enjoyed the competition immensely, something we often forget.
Although Comfort has said that she is looking forward to moving into the masters category, I’m sure we will be seeing her in the open class for some time yet to come.
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