McColgan’s Withdrawal from Glasgow 2026
Eilish McColgan, the defending women’s 10,000m champion, has withdrawn from the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Her decision stems from a foot injury, specifically a stress fracture, which she sustained during the London Marathon. This injury has limited her preparation time for the Games.
McColgan, who also secured a silver medal in the 5000m at Birmingham 2022, confirmed her absence in a statement. She noted that after nearly 10 weeks out due to the toe injury, her withdrawal might not come as a surprise. Despite being back to running, she indicated that she had run out of time to adequately prepare herself and her foot for competitive spikes.
She expressed that her fitness was strong at the beginning of the year, but having only resumed outdoor running a couple of weeks prior, the timeline was too tight. McColgan plans to be in Glasgow throughout the week to support Team Scotland and extended her best wishes to all team members competing.
McColgan’s withdrawal adds her name to a growing list of high-profile athletes who will not be participating in the Games. Among others who have pulled out are England’s Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Matt Hudson-Smith, both of whom withdrew shortly before the event.
Other Commonwealth Games Updates
In netball, England achieved a significant victory over Northern Ireland with a final score of 83-34. This win sets up a match against Australia, scheduled for Sunday. Meanwhile, the Australian Diamonds also secured a large win against Tonga, with a score of 99-3, though they narrowly missed reaching 100 points. During this match, Tonga’s Uneeq Palavi left the court in the second quarter due to a finger injury.
In lawn bowls, Scotland’s team, featuring Robert Barr, triumphed over Australia in the para mixed pairs P2-B3 bowls with a 5-5, 10-0 win. This result allowed Scotland to move ahead of Australia into second place in the standings. Australia is set to play New Zealand next.
In swimming, Sean McCann, brother of Madeleine McCann, competed in his heat for the 400m freestyle. He finished fourth in his heat, behind Australia’s Elijah Winnington and Ben Goedemans, and qualified for the final spot with a time of 3:52:65. Reports indicate that his parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, were present in the stands. Sam Short was the fastest qualifier with a time of 3:46:23.
Seventeen-year-old Sienna Toohey made an impression in her 100m breaststroke heat, winning by a significant margin with a time of 1:07:30. An unexpected moment occurred when her swimming cap fell off during the race, causing a brief delay for the subsequent swim. Toohey retrieved her cap to cheers from the crowd. It was noted that she had been wearing two caps at the start of her swim.
In another swimming event, Cam McEvoy, the 50m freestyle world champion, placed second in his heat, finishing behind Canada’s Joshua Liendo by .7 of a second.
Gymnastics and Basketball Highlights
In gymnastics, the Wales team demonstrated strong performances on the vault, with Abigail and Emily Roper competing for the top individual spot. Emily Roper took the lead with a score of 13.300. Ruby Evans of Wales also delivered an eye-catching routine on the floor, scoring 12.900, despite incurring a penalty for stepping out of bounds. Her teammate Jemima Taylor, 17, achieved the second-best score of 13.300 on the uneven bars.
Tiana Sumanasekera, representing Sri Lanka, competed on the balance beam after a shoulder injury prevented her from participating in the all-around event. She aimed to reach the final despite limited preparation. India’s Protistha Samanta posted the day’s best score of 13.025 on the vault, positioning herself for individual final qualification.
In 3×3 basketball, England defeated Scotland with a score of 14-9 in the women’s event. Key contributions from Katie Januszewska and Georgia Gayle helped England secure their lead. England also recorded a 22-7 win over Singapore, while Scotland had previously lost 12-10 to Tonga. In the men’s 3×3 basketball, England’s team, including Ashley Hamilton, Jamell Anderson, Evan Walshe, and Dwayne Lautier-Ogunyele, followed their initial win against Jamaica with a 21-13 victory over Fiji. Hamilton, who founded London 3×3, also supports a foundation in Sierra Leone.
The hosts, Scotland, began their wheelchair 3×3 basketball campaign with a 16-1 win against Nigeria in women’s Pool B. Lea Smith, 17, scored six points, while her teammate Robyn Love led with seven points. Love expressed her excitement about the experience, being only 40 minutes from her hometown of Ayr.
In a closely contested Pool B netball match, Uganda, known as the She-Cranes, defeated Wales 59-50. Uganda had a strong third quarter, turning a three-point deficit into a six-point lead by the buzzer. Shadiah Nassanga scored 20 goals and Mary Cholhok added 16 goals for Uganda.
In boxing, local athlete Nicholas Devlin secured a unanimous points victory over Australia’s Finbar O’Sullivan in the 60kg category. Devlin, who is from a town located 10 minutes away, expressed his joy at winning in front of his home crowd and family.
Source: nine.com.au
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Charlie Bradshaw is the Senior Football Correspondent at News-GB, covering the Premier League, the EFL and the England national side with ten years of reporting experience. He covered Merseyside football before going national. He holds a degree in Sports Journalism from Liverpool John Moores University and completed an NCTJ diploma. Based in Liverpool, he watches non-league sides and collects old match programmes. “The back page is only ever half the story.”