Host nation’s star athlete is latest big-name withdrawal
10,000m champion was due to defend title on Monday
The Commonwealth Games has suffered yet another blow after Eilish McColgan, Scotland’s star athlete at these championships, became the latest big name to pull out. McColgan was due to defend her 10,000m title on Monday, but on Saturdaysaid: “Sadly, I won’t be competing at Glasgow 2026. After almost 10 weeks out following the London Marathon with my toe injury, it probably won’t come as a huge surprise.
“The good news is I’m back running. The bad news is I’ve simply run out of time to get myself, and my toe, back into spikes. Having started the year stronger than ever, I know the fitness is there but having only taken my first run outdoors a couple of weeks ago, the clock was always against me.
“While these Games have come a few weeks too early for me, this isn’t the end of my season and I can’t wait to get back racing soon.”
McColgan is the latest British track and field big name to be missing the home Games. On Thursday, Katarina Johnson-Thompson, the Olympic heptathlon silver medallist, pulled out with a calf injury, while other late withdrawals include the sprinter Dina Asher-Smith, Matt Hudson-Smith, the 400m Olympic silver medallist, and the 2025 world indoor 400m champion, Amber Anning.
England’s Olympic 800m champion, Keely Hodgkinson, has skipped the event to prioritise the European Championships. St Lucia’s 100m Olympic champion, Julien Alfred, and Botswana’s Olympic 200m champion, Letsile Tebogo, are also missing, along with Canadian swimmer Summer McIntosh, who is instead favouring the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships.
Elinor Middlemiss, the Team Scotland chef de mission, supported McColgan’s decision. “We’re sad Eilish won’t be competing at Glasgow 2026 as we know just how much it meant to her to defend her Commonwealth title in front of a home crowd,” she said.
“Eilish is a legend of Scottish sport and her incredible 10,000m gold-medal victory in Birmingham will go down as one of the defining moments in Commonwealth Games history.
“She has worked tirelessly to give herself every opportunity to be on the start line, and we completely support her decision not to return before she’s ready to compete at her very best.”
