“It’ll be amazing to complete the medal set”: Loughborough’s Dobson eyes Commonwealth glory

Charlie Dobson has become used to life in the fast lane. The 26-year-old 400m runner has established himself as one of Europe’s top competitors, with a growing medal haul now hard to ignore.   

However, delve a little deeper into his silverware collection and there’s one notable omission – a Commonwealth Games medal. This summer, representing Team England, the Loughborough University alum will have the chance to put that right.

“I’m really looking forward to the Commonwealths. It’s the only major championships I’ve not won a medal at – either individually or in the relays – so it’ll be amazing to complete the set,” he told Loughborough Sport.

It’s been quite the couple of years for the Aeronautical Engineering graduate, capped with an outstanding bronze medal in the men’s 4x400m relay at the Paris Games that will live long in the memory.

However, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing for Dobson. Reoccurring injuries and time spent on the sidelines forced him to switch from 200m to 400m – a move which is already paying dividends.

“The transition from 200m to 400m was made to save myself and my career, but it ended up going pretty well,” he said.

“I’ve been steadily improving my 400m PB over the last couple of years, putting down some really solid times, and me and my coach are really happy with how that’s going.

“It’s now my main event, and I’m really strong – the second fastest in Europe.”

Dobson explained how he progressed through the age groups before arriving at Loughborough University as a fresh-faced student in 2018.

“I first started competing at school; I think it was year five or six. We went to some interschool games, joined my local club, and competed as a club-level athlete until around 2018, when I made the world junior team and came home with a silver medal.

“From that point on, I decided to take it seriously and moved up to Loughborough. I came here for both the course I wanted to study and the sporting aspect as well.”

Settling into life in the East Midlands, Dobson’s hard work and commitment saw him soon become part of Loughborough’s enviable sporting ecosystem.

“It’s a very high-level environment here; you’ve got multiple Olympic and Paralympic medal winners, and it really sets the bar for a high level of competition. It inspires you to be the best you can be and push as hard as you can.

“It’s really important to us as athletes to see the place that we call home investing in us and the people around us. We have some amazing technology set-up here and I’m really looking forward to getting some cool data from that.

“Sport has its highs and its lows, but the highs are so good. If I just inspire one person to take up the sport, that’s an achievement for me.”

For all the latest Loughborough University news around the Commonwealth Games, visit the dedicated website here: www.lboro.ac.uk/sport/commonwealth-games-2026/ 

Join the conversation on social media with the hashtag #Lboro2Glasgow

Press Release Reference: 26/139

Dan Trussell

PR Manager (Sport)

Tel: 01509 228686

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