ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ connected athletes make their mark at the 2026 Commonwealth Games
The 2026 Commonwealth Games have been taking place in Glasgow over the past eleven days (23 July – 2 August), and a number of ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ students, alumni and associates have delivered exceptional performances representing their countries.
Published 03 Aug 2026
ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ student Isabella Brown on the Commonwealth Games Podium. Photograph courtesy of British Weight Lifting.
This includes current student-athlete and Greenaway sport scholar Isabella Brown who competed for England in the Women's 77kg Weightlifting on the sixth day of the games (29 July). After lifting 97kg in the Snatch – the first of two parts of the competition - Isabella sat just outside the medal places in 4th. However, a monumental effort in the Clean and Jerk saw the BA History student lift 132kg to set a brand new games record and move her up to 2nd place in the standings, with a final total of 229kg earning Bella a superb silver medal on her Commonwealth Games debut.
Reflecting on the achievement afterwards, Bella said;
It's pretty special. It wasn't how I wanted it to go, but to come away with silver - I can't be mad about that. I think there's definitely work to be done, but the fact that I turned it on for the clean and jerk and came away with a personal best proves that I'm a fighter. Going out for that extra kilo was for me. Yes, it was a Games record, but I wanted to do something that showed all the hard work I've put in during this last block.
Isabella Brown, 2026 Commonwealth Silver Medalist and ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Greenaway sport scholar
Inspiration may have been found just one day earlier for Isabella as her England team mate and ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ alumni Sarah Davies-Smale attempted to retain her Commonwealth crown in the Women’s 63kg competition after winning gold in Birmingham at the 2022 edition of the games. In a similar situation to Bella, Sarah was left outside of the medal places after the initial Snatch, but pulled off a lift of 122kg in the Clean and Jerk to move her up the rankings and secure a very well earned silver medal. On the same day, ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ alumni Christopher Russ competed in the Men's 88kg final and narrowly missed out on a medal finishing in 4th place.
ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ weightlifting club coach Chris Murray also got in on the medal action by winning bronze in the Men's 88kg competition, and to round out an incredible week of action for ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ linked athletes in the weightlifting arena, former ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ staff member Emily Campbell stepped onto the lifting platform on Thursday 30 July and blew the competition away to win another magnificent gold and set a new Commonwealth record in the process. As regular a training host for national pathway squads and trials, the University works closely with British Weight Lifting, and we are pleased to see a number of athletes who regularly train at David Ross Village compete so successfully at the games.
There was also plenty of success on the basketball court for ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ alumni and partners as James Hazell took to the hardwood for England in the 3x3 Men’s Wheelchair Basketball. Hazell, a ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ graduate (MSc International Business), and his team mates breezed through the pools by winning all three of their matches, including a win over defending champions Australia. A victory in the semi-finals set up a rematch against Australia in the final (29 July), but a 13-19 defeat meant it would be a still highly impressive silver medal for James and the team.
The 3x3 England Women’s Wheelchair Basketball side completed a flawless run to Commonwealth Gold, winning every game before beating Scotland 18-10 in a home nations showdown to seal the title. Former University student Dan May also competed in the Men’s 3x3 Wheelchair Basketball competition for Wales, losing to eventual champions Australia in one of the knockout bracket play-in games.
These achievements reflect the University’s continued commitment to wheelchair basketball and inclusive sport through its role as Official Training Partner of British Wheelchair Basketball and its partnership with GF Tomlinson, which supports the growth of para and inclusive sport at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½.
The University’s netball connections were also on display in Glasgow. ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Forest Netball players represented 5 different nations at the games. Imogen Allison and Jayda Pechova were selected to represent England, with the Roses ultimately finishing fourth in the competition. Brie Grierson reached the finals with Jamaica, winning a hard-fought silver medal against New Zealand.
Their selection highlighted both the strength of ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Forest Netball and the impact of the club’s official performance partnership with the University in helping develop and support elite athletes on the international stage.
The action continued all the way through into August for ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ athletes as alumna and Paralympic gold medallist Sophie Unwin went in search of her first Commonwealth medal, competing in the Women's Tandem B 1000m TT Final on Saturday 1 August. After finishing just short of a medal in the Women's Tandem B Sprint a few days earlier, Unwin and pilot Anna Whitworth-Hay took to the Velodrome track and delivered a time of 1:06.962 to finish 3rd, claiming a bronze medal and taking to her maiden Commonwealth podium. Unwin spoke about winning her medal afterwards by saying;
It’s really good to come away with the bronze medal. We finished our ride and knew that we’d done a really good time, but then had to sit and watch three more bikes come in and hope and pray that they don’t go quicker than you!
Sophie Unwin, 2026 Commonwealth Bronze medalist and ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ alumna
There were two other ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ alumni who took to the track across the course of the games with Michael Gill and Mitch Sparrow racing for Scotland and South Africa respectively, with Gill setting a new national record in the Men's 4000m Team Pursuit with his team mates.
Moving to the athletics track, current ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ sport scholar Mabel Akande had earned a call up to the England squad, and raced in the Women’s 100m and Women’s 4x100m. After winning her heat in the 100m, Mabel finished 6th in the individual semi-final, but made Saturday’s 4x100m final with her team mates where the team produced a time of 43.56 to finish in the top five.
Speaking about the experience of competing at her first Commonwealth Games, Mabel reflected;
It has been crazy, but I'm really grateful to be part of a senior team as I didn't expect it this year. I've learned and grown a lot over the years, and I really put my best out there. Every athlete wants to go further and every athlete wants to win medals, but I know I still have a lot more training and development ahead of me before I'm competing for finals consistently. I put my best out on the track, and now I'm going to keep working hard and put my best out there next time.
Mabel Akande, 2026 Commonwealth athlete and ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ sport scholar
Also competing on the track for England at the games was ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ alumna Katie Snowden who raced well in the Women’s 1 mile and was unlucky to not qualify for the final.
Meanwhile, another current University student racing in Glasgow was Zach Moyo, however Moyo was competing in the swimming pool for Zambia and was the first ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ linked athlete to compete at the games, winning his heat in the Men’s 100m Breaststroke and finishing 24th overall on 24th July, and then finished 6th in his Men's 50m Breaststroke heat just a few days later.
Across the whole games period, the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ saw 3 current students competing for their nations, whilst 8 alumni & former students represented their countries. When combined with a further number of ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ connected athletes, as well as a number of ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ staff undertaking key roles behind the scenes, the University had a large and successful presence at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ athletes secured a total of 6 medals won with 1 gold, 3 silvers and 2 bronze.
Reflecting on the success of Green and Gold athletes in Glasgow, ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Assistant Director of Sport – Performance, Alex Perry said;
The 2026 Commonwealth Games have shown the incredible amount of joy that sport can provide, not only to those competing but those watching, and it has been a fantastic experience seeing the achievements of our ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ linked athletes. We are extremely proud of the remarkable medal success for scholar Isabella Brown, whilst students Zach Moyo and Mabel Akande also delivered magnificent performances on the back of managing dual-career ambitions and succeeding in both academics and their sports. Meanwhile, it was brilliant to see multiple ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ graduates in Sarah Davies-Smale, James Hazell, and Sophie Unwin take to the podium after winning medals. The number of alumni competing at the games, as well as the level of talent on show through our partnerships with British Wheelchair Basketball, British Weight Lifting, and ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Forest Netball, highlight the continued history of sporting talent here at the University - a history that we are very proud of. On behalf of the wider university I would like to congratulate every athlete and individual with ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ connections who played a part in Glasgow, and look forward to celebrating their success when they next return to campus.
Alex Perry, ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Assistant Director of Sport - Performance
You can see more detailed results of our representatives and their performances on our dedicated Commonwealth Games web page.
Notes for editors
ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ are the top UK University for team sport, placing 2nd in the overall British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) rankings in the 2024/25 season. For more information on our performance sport offer, including scholarships and support for student athletes, please click here.