Loughborough athletes and coaches took part in the Games from 23 July – 2 August in Glasgow, Scotland, closing out the 2026 Commonwealth Games having won a mammoth 45 medals. Loughborough’s incredible collective performance means that if classed as an independent nation, it would have finished sixth in the medal table, ahead of Malaysia, South Africa, and New Zealand.
Swimming
Current student Freya Colbert won three silver medals in the pool across the Mixed 4x100m Freestyle Relay, Women’s 4x100m Freestyle Relay, and Women’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay.
Alum Abbie Wood (Criminology and Social Policy BSc, 2021) joined her in the pool for the Mixed 4x100m Freestyle Relay in the heats, and the Women’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay.
Current master’s student Max Litchfield duly delivered on his pre-Games “unfinished business” promise to claim a superb silver as part of Team England’s Men’s 4x200m Relay team.
Litchfield – taking the anchor leg in 1:48.65 – contributed to an incredible team performance at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre and will now return to campus as a Commonwealth medal winner.
In the same race, Tyler Melbourne-Smith – another current Loughborough student – held off the advances of a surging Scotland to win bronze for Wales as Australia took gold.
In the Men’s 400m Individual Medley, both Max Litchfield and Charlie Hutchinson – a former sports scholar and graduate of Loughborough College – qualified for the final, finishing fifth and seventh respectively.
In the Men’s 200m Backstroke, Loughborough College alum and former sports scholar Luke Greenbank (Applied Sports Science BSc, 2021) won a gutsy bronze to record his first individual medal at a Commonwealth Games. He dug deep but his time of 1:56.58 was enough to reach the podium.
Alum Daniel Wiffen (Information Technology Management for Business BSc, 2025) won a fine silver in the Men’s 1500m Freestyle final for Northern Ireland. Wiffen, who also won the silver in the same event at Birmingham 2022, took control of second place and looked sure of the podium from the early stages.
Former scholar and alum Lauren Cox (Geography and Sport Science BSc, 2025) had an evening to remember at the 2026 Commonwealth Games after winning bronze in the Women’s 50m Backstroke. The alum showed incredible resilience to fight for third spot and a place on the podium, touching the wall in 27.56.
There was further bronze medal success for former Loughborough College student and sport scholar Imogen Clark. England's Clark’s time of 30.86 seconds in the Women’s 50m Breaststroke was enough for a shared bronze with Canada’s Sophie Angus.
Imogen Clark of Team England with her bronze medal after coming joint third in the Women's 50m Breaststroke Final. Image provided by PA/Alamy.
Athletics
In the Men’s 100m T38, current Loughborough College student Thomas Young won gold in a Games record time. The sport scholar stormed to victory to take the title in 11.11 seconds to claim a maiden Commonwealth medal.
Zac Shaw won a blistering gold in the Men’s 100m T12. Shaw, who spoke to Loughborough Sport about his challenges battling grief, stormed through to dedicate the title to his late mum. His time of 10.39 saw him cross the line ahead of South Africa’s Masala Makatu and Canada’s George Quarcoo to become Commonwealth Champion for the first time.
There was also a brilliant silver medal for current student Poppy Malik in the Mixed 4x400m Relay. The sports scholar produced a brilliant performance in the heats to ensure Team England had a favourable lane going into the final.
Current student and sport scholar Ben East qualified for the Men’s Javelin Throw Final after hitting 80.38m in the heats. Current student and sport scholar Georgina Forde-Wells finished an impressive fifth in the Women’s Triple Jump with a solid score of 13.70m.
Loughborough's Tom Young celebrates winning the gold medal in the Men's 100m T38. Image provided by Alamy / PA.
Basketball
In 3x3 Basketball, Loughborough College alum and former scholar Jamell Anderson (Sports Science with Sports Management, 2012) and fellow alum Evan Walshe (Marketing PGCert, 2023) won a glorious gold in the Men's event. In a tense and cagey final versus Australia, Anderson and Walshe battled hard to drag Team England to a 19-17 victory to become Commonwealth Champions.
In the same competition, Kyle Jimenez – a former scholar and Loughborough College learner – won a hard-fought bronze as his Scotland side defeated New Zealand, 18-16.
In 3x3 Wheelchair Basketball, current sport scholar Ana Blease helped Wales crush Nigeria 17-1 in their second match in Pool B.
Cycling
In the velodrome, five current and former scholars won eight medals.
Three current student scholars stood on the podium in the Women’s Team Sprint. Rhian Edmunds won gold with Wales, Sophie Capewell won silver with England, and Iona Moir won bronze with Scotland.
Sophie Capewell secured another silver in the Women's Sprint and Rhian Edmunds won bronze in the same event.
Alum Morgan Newberry (Physiology and Nutrition of Sport and Exercise PGCert, 2025) won silver in the Women's C4-C5 4000m Individual Pursuit, and current student and scholar Joe Truman won two silver medals in the Men’s Sprint and Men’s 1000m Time Trial. The current student’s time of 59.525 was enough to secure second place and confirm his second silver medal overall in the Championships.
(L-R) Sophie Capewell of England (silver), Emma Finucane of Wales (gold) and Rhian Edmunds of Wales (bronze) on the podium following the Women's Sprint final at 2026 Commonwealth Games. Image provided by PA / Alamy
About Sports Scholarships
Sports Scholarships play a vital role in helping athletes thrive. With philanthropic support, student-athletes can seize every opportunity at Loughborough, realise their potential, and strive for success both on and off the field.
A Sports Scholarship provides a student on a performance programme with up to £5,000 of funding per year.
Performance programmes cover a breadth of sports, and students in receipt of scholarships are given the chance to really focus on their training alongside their studies. Find out more about making a donation.
Thank you to all donors past and present who have supported Sports Scholarships. We hope you can see and feel the impact that you are having on Loughborough athletes.
Find out more about Loughborough’s success at the Commonwealth Games on the Games Ready website and join the conversation on social media using #Lboro2Glasgow.
*Team medals consist of one medal overall.
