Julia Mills was a significant member of the British Powerlifting community who lost her life in an unfortunate powerlifting accident. The community remembers her as a bright personality who had a drive for learning.
A native of North Tyneside, Julia Mills had moved to Newcastle upon Tyne after completing her high school at St. Thomas More RC High School in North Shields.
Over the years, Mills had developed a love for powerlifting and competitive events. She had recently participated in the 4 Nations Championship in Wrexham, North Wales, where she won the Female Best Lifter title.
The powerlifter had outstanding records, with 625kg in total, including squat, bench, and deadlift in the Raw & Wraps category.
Even during her final moments, Mills did what she loved most, and her family claimed she was training for an upcoming tournament. In 2019, she won the title of Europe’s Strongest Woman.
Further, her friends and students have sent encouraging words to the family and have described Mills’ personality. Mills shared a close bond with her opponents and supported young people interested in powerlifting.
Additionally, Mills provided classes to Sam Taylor, who wrote, “You were a force to be reckoned with in strength sports, I will certainly never ever forget you and what you bought.“
Others added that the lifter was the happiest when helping others or breaking the stereotypes. She was the first woman in the total 600kg raw and 700kg in kit to beat the European record that stood for 25 years.
Julia Mills had a degree in Biology from York UK University!
Besides her record in the UK, Mills traveled to Ireland with Niall Reddan and participated in several competitions. She always went home with the award for Best Powerlifter.
Further, her competition partner mentioned that she had participated in the Brodie Charity Camp for consecutive years. He regretted not connecting with her on a personal level, as she had a rare, strong, and humble personality.
Before her demise, Julia Mills had agreed to appear in the Spotlight Interview to discuss her powerlifting journey and her plans.
Moreover, she was engaged to Sam Solomi, and the couple lived together in a beachfront house. Solomi described her partner in a heartfelt post and mentioned that he planned to marry her next year.
In a Facebook post, he wrote, “Julia, It still feels like a bad dream, and I am desperate to wake up. I can’t believe you aren’t here anymore. She will always be the most beautiful, gentle soul I’ve ever known.“
Similarly, the couple attended several powerlifting competitions and won the highest titles. Her club plans to honor her achievement in a special ceremony to provide the Julie Mills Award to the best female raw bench.
Additionally, Mills benched a surprising 155kg at 82.5kg bodyweight at the Irish Pro Invitational in August, and the club wants to honor the RAW bench as one of her passions.
They have been collecting funds to conduct a competition that will feature the A/BPU British Single Lifts Championship and Julia Mills Celebration 2025.
Additional Information
- Julia Mills had mastered the 350-lb raw on bench and 225×18 when she tested for the combined test. She became the first woman to be documented on video lifting a 45-lb plate by the hub.
- The powerlifter appeared on RTE2’s TV series UK’s Strongest Woman and won the car-lifting event in 2021.
