By Sam Blacker on SwimSwam
2026 Commonwealth Games
July 24 – 29, 2026 (pool swimming) Glasgow, Scotland Tollcross International Swimming Centre LCM (50m) Meet Central Preview IndexWith the 2026 Commonwealth Games starting later this week, the men’s side is full of stars, with world records on notice in the 400 free from Sam Short and in the 50 free from Cam McEvoy. Injury seems to have avoided almost every swimmer, with only a slight finger injury to Adam Peaty last month hindering any of the favorites, and the field is set for some fantastic racing.
As we are just days away from the meet now, SwimSwam has compiled some of the top men’s storylines to watch in Glasgow this week.
Can Sam Short Do The Sweep?
Ryan Cochrane was the last man to sweep the men’s distance events at the Commonwealth Games, but he did have a slightly easier task in 2014 than Sam Short does this year. Not due to the quality of the field – David McKeon, James Guy, and Mack Horton were serious competitors – but because he only had two events to win.
The 800 free has been added to the men’s schedule (and the 1500 free to the women’s) this year, giving one more medal opportunity to Short. He won gold in the 1500 free and silver in the 400 free at the last edition, so has the opportunity to go not one but two better in 2026.
He is the fastest man this season in all three events, and has looked nigh-on unbeatable in the 400 free and 800 free.
The form of Dan Wiffen will have a part to play in Short’s quest, but right now the sweep looks to be in his hands. He has not won an individual international medal since 2023 – it looks to be a golden return for one of the most in-form swimmers this season.
Will Pieter Coetze Get The Better Of Ollie Morgan Again?
Heading into the World Championships last year there was a Commonwealth backstroker who looked set to be among the medals. That was England and Great Britain’s Ollie Morgan, who had just swept the backstroke events at the Aquatics GB Championships for the third time in three years, setting a new British record of 52.12 in the 100 back.
By the time the meet rolled around, it was a different Commonwealth backstroker whose name was on everyone’s lips. Pieter Coetze had dominated sprint backstroke events at the World University Games, setting an African record of 51.99 to win the 100 back to also snag the Commonwealth record from Morgan.
Coetze ended up being the story, winning the 100 back in 51.85 and taking silver in the 50 back (24.17) and 200 back (1:53.36). Morgan took 5th in the 100, clocking 52.37 for his second-fastest swim ever, but it was the South African who got the better of their duel.
Will history repeat itself in Glasgow? Coetze and Morgan are the top two 100 backstrokers in the world this season, separated by just 0.01 seconds, while Coetze is ahead in the 200 (1:55.26 to 1:55.86) and Morgan leads in the 50 (24.36 to 24.54). They are the two favorites in all three events – Luke Greenbank and Blake Tierney may challenge in the 200 back, but the sprints will be a straight showdown. Both swimmers are improving, both are technically elite, and they should match up on relays as well. It should be a great battle through the week.
Can Wales Win Just Their Second Relay Medal Ever?
Wales have won just one Commonwealth relay medal ever – the women’s 4×100 medley in 2018 – and the men’s team have won exactly zero. Canada are sending a reduced squad this year, moving one of the perennial medal favorites back into the pack, which opens up some real possibilities for the Welsh.
Australia and England have been the two dominant relay teams over the last two editions, and will likely remain so this year, but bronze is up for grabs. Scotland have had the edge over Wales recently, but Matt Richards looks in best-ever form and Harry Milne, Lewis Fraser, Dan Jones and Kyle Booth have all looked good this season.
The lack of a backstroker probably sinks the medley relay hopes, but the 4×100 free could be on. Wales finished 4th in 2022, setting a new national record of 3:15.79, and their season best add-up comes to 3:16.83. The mixed freestyle relay is also a medal hope, with Theodora Taylor proving age is no barrier for her. If they can make their way onto the podium it will be an historic one.
What Kind Of Form Is Dan Wiffen In?
Dan Wiffen won his first international medal in the 1500 free at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, dropping six seconds for a new national record and a silver medal. The next season was his breakout, as he lowered his 1500 free best from 14:51.79 to 14:34.91 and set a European record of 7:39.19 in the 800 free, but ended up placing 4th in both events at the 2023 World Championships.
He was back on the podium at the European U23 Championships later that summer, winning a gold and two silvers, and then won a world title (1500 free) and an Olympic title (800 free) in 2024, as well as an Olympic bronze in the 1500 free.
Since then he has struggled a little. He placed 8th in the 800 free final last year and scratched the 1500 free although he had been suffering with illness in Singapore. He won 1500 free gold at the European Short Course Championships in December 2025, but added nearly ten seconds to his 800 free world record to place 3rd. His long course swims this season have also been below par for him, especially as he is typically fast in-season.
The move to Cal looks not to have worked for him – he has already announced that he will be returning to Ireland next season. The men’s distance events are not too deep here, but Wiffen is not the type of character who will be satisfied with the lower steps of the podium. Will he be in 2025 form or 2024 form in Glasgow?
Just How Fast Will Cam McEvoy Go?
Cam McEvoy’s season best times over previous three seasons stand at 21.06, 21.13, and 21.14, but this year has been his fastest yet. He cracked Cesar Cielo’s world record with his first ever sub-21 second swim at the China open, clocking 20.88, and could be even faster this summer.
The Commonwealth Games is his sole focus this summer as he is skipping the Pan Pacific Championships, and he will not need to go all out through the heats and semi-finals to make it through. He should be relatively fresh for the final, in clean water, and fully tapered. That should all add up to a blistering swim for him, as he seeks his first individual Commonwealth gold medal.
This season has seen just two sub-21.5 swims from McEvoy, but he has got the job done in the two big meets he has swum, dominating the field at the China Open and winning Australian Trials in 21.32. There is no real doubt about whether he will top the podium, but he dropped time in the summer in both 2023 and 2025. If he can do so again this year, which he seems to be winding up to do, we could see him clock something quite silly on July 26th.
One Last Games For The Old Guard
There are probably no other swimmers that can yet hold a candle to how well James Guy, Duncan Scott, and Adam Peaty have served British swimming over the past decade-plus. They have at least eight world or Olympic-level relay medals apiece – eight for Peaty, 15 for Guy, and 13 for Scott – and have been ever present for Team GB since 2015 unless missing through injury or illness.
This will probably be their final Commonwealth Games, at least as focal points for their nations. Peaty has been public about making it to LA, but it seems unlikely he’d prolong his career by another two years beyond that, especially as he is already 31 years old. Guy will be 31 in November, and Scott turned 29 last May. All three have had exceptional careers, and the fact that they will still be among the favorites in Glasgow, at their fourth Commonwealth Games, is testament to that.
Guy will be gunning for his first individual title, having won two silvers and three bronzes so far, while Scott is the defending champion in the 200 free and 200 IM. Peaty, for all his dominance internationally from 2015-2021, has never swept the sprint breaststrokes at the Commonwealth Games but will be looking to crown his first major meet since Paris with at least one podium.
This is not quite a ride off into the sunset, with LA in two years the aim for all three, but they will still want to sign off from the Commonwealth Games in style. For Scott, back in his hometown, that is especially true.
The Best Individual Event Will Be The Final One
There is a reason that British Trials have ended with the men’s 200 free in the last few years. The event has been a strength ever since Great Britain won gold in the 4×200 free relay in 2015, and has proved a fantastic final event. In Glasgow that will be repeated, with the 200 moving from day 2 in 2022 to the final day this year.
No other event on the men’s side looks quite so stacked. There are nine men with lifetime bests of 1:45.7 or better in the field, and there are several more in the 1:46s who will be knocking on the door of the final. The heats will be cutthroat – the 200s go straight from heats to finals at this meet – and any slip could be costly. For those who make it through, the podium will seem attainable.
Duncan Scott took the title in Birmingham in a time of 1:45.04, followed by Tom Dean and Elijah Winnington. This year it is Wales’ Matt Richards who is the favorite as the only man in the Commonwealth under 1:45 this season. James Guy, Sam Short, Kai Taylor, Lewis Clareburt, Jack McMillan, Tom Dean, and more – this will be box office.
Keep An Eye Out For Some History For The Smaller Nations
While the Commonwealth Games is generally dominated by the more established swimming nations – Australia, Canada, South Africa, England, Scotland, and Wales – we do see swimmers from outside that sextet making their mark. Papua New Guinea’s Ryan Pini won 100 fly gold in 2006, Kenya’s Jason Dunford won 50 fly gold in 2010, and Zimbabwe’s Kirsty Coventry won 200 IM gold in 2002.
While topping the podium looks a little out of reach for anyone this year, both Fiji and the Cook Islands will be hoping for their first ever Commonwealth swimming finalists. Tolu Young, who swims for Arizona State in the NCAA, will be the Fijian hope after setting a new national record of 21.92 in the 50 free in December, while the Cook Islands’ 18-year-old Jacob Story clocked a 2:14.41 in the 200 breast in April.
If the pair can replicate those swims, they should make the top eight. Doing so would mean a whole lot more for their nations than, for example, the second English swimmer or third Australian making the final.
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