Athletics and Para-Athletics

Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow

29th July 2026

Scotstoun Stadium is the home of Glasgow Warriors rugby side.

We had both the mens and women's F42-44/F61-61 Discus finals to get through this evening, so the action started early with the ladies' competition.  Welsh pair Funmi Oduwaiye and Bree Cronin briefly held down the first two spots, but they eventually had to settle for silver and bronze respectively, once world record holder Goodness Nwachukwu got into her stride - no pun intended: the lady walks with crutches.

Bree Cronin

Some Para-athletes appeared more impaired than others...

...this was Regina Edward, representing Papua New Guinea

After the ladies were finished, the F42-44/F61-61 lads picked up their discuses.  The
gold medal was eventually won by Aled Davies of Wales (no, not that Aled).

The Women's 1500m T54 Final was the first track event and, aided by a multi-wheelchair pile-up, Scottish para-athlete Melanie Woods took gold much to the delight of all in the stand.

Melanie Woods

Melanie Woods

Meanwhile, across the other side of the stadium, the Men's Long Jump Final took place.  Scotland's Stephen Mackenzie held joint first-place after the first round of jumps, but eventually had to settle for bronze, a good way behind the winner, former World Champion Tajay Gayle of Jamaica.

 

Stephen Mackenzie

Whilst, way across to our left, the Women's Shot Put final took place, kicked off by the really rather alluring Ashley Erasmus from South Africa.  However, the lady finished way down in 10th position - had she been able to replicate her personal best throw of 18.3m, she may have picked up silver.

The gold medal was won by Canada's Sarah Mitton.

   

Ashley Erasmus

Next up, on the track was the Men's 400 Metres Hurdles heats.  Three heats there were - none of them featuring any Scots - with Nigeria's Ezekiel Nathaniel being the fastest of the qualifiers for the final.  He would go on to win the gold medal a couple of days later. 

England's Seamus Derbyshire on his way to winning heat 1.

Heat 2

Heat 3

William Peka doing something with his legs.

Heat 3 was won by Guyana's Alastair Chalmers

The sun did poke it's head through the clouds, much to the delight of the announcer.

The track events moved on with the semi-finals of the Women's 800m.  We had two Scots here: Erin Wallace running in the first semi-final, with Jemma Reekie in the second.  

Erin missed out on a place in the final by one position, whilst Jemma, who had won a silver in this event at the 2024 Indoor Games in Glasgow, finished well down the field in her race.

More ladies then followed, this being the final discipline of the Heptathlon: the 800m.  Such was he commanding lead from the earlier disciplines, all Northern Ireland's Katherine O'Connor had to do to claim gold, was not finish too far behind England's Jade O'Dowda.

In the event Katherine won the title in style.

 

Katherine O'Connor

And then, with a fanfare of smoke plumes, into the arena arrived the chaps for the Men's 100m T47 Final.  This classification covers "competitors with a below elbow or wrist amputation or impairment".

I can see how such a disadvantage would impact upon sprinting technique, but you would not think it from the speed these lads pounded down the track.

I was startled to learn all the athletes completed the race in under 12 seconds, with the winner India's Dilip Gavit doing so with a time of 10.71.  This being less than a second slower than the athlete who won the corresponding "Athletics" event.

We had a bit of a contretemps in the stands, when this chap was invited to leave by the stewards,
for I don't know what.  He stubbornly sat his ground, until The Polis arrived.
At least somebody saw the funny side.

The final event of the evening was the Women's 3000m Steeplechase Final.  Scotland was represented here by Sarah Tate.  Her confident looking wave to the crowd as she was introduced did not, regretfully, transfer onto the track, as she finished last in a field of ten.  

That being said, Sarah was in with some quality athletes here, and even if she had managed to pull out her Personal Best this evening, she would still have missed out on the medals.

But, I was pleased to note the home crowd encouraging her, each time she passed the main stand.

The gold medal was taken by Kenyan Faith Cherotich, with a new Commonwealth Games record, to add to her bronze at the Paris Olympics in 2024.

   

Sarah Tate

England's Ellie Thorner took the silver medal.

Scotstoun Stadium