Sarah Adlington is set to ignite the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games with a bang, as she leads Team Scotland's judo squad with her trademark blend of experience and passion. The first athlete to secure two Commonwealth Games gold medals in judo, Adlington has already etched her name into history – but now she's chasing that elusive third gold to bring the curtain down on an illustrious career.
The 39-year-old firecracker is set to light up the competition alongside a largely youthful squad of 12 talented athletes. While Adlington has competed in previous Games, including the record-breaking medal haul at Glasgow 2014 and her gold-winning performance at Birmingham 2022, most of her teammates will be making their Commonwealth Games debut – the perfect stage for them to shine.
Among the fresh faces is Sunny Doig, 21, who was part of Team Scotland's Achieve Programme at Birmingham 2022, and 18-year-old Eva Ewing, the youngest member of the female squad. Summer Shaw, 22, a British Championships gold medallist, completes the age spectrum for the women's team. The men's squad also features notable new faces, including Scott Cusack, whose parents Loretta and Billy both earned medals for Scotland when judo was first introduced at the 1990 Auckland Games. You can bet they'll be cheering him on from the sidelines – his mum, by the way, is one of the Sport Competition Managers for Judo!
Another debutant to keep an eye on is Ollie Short, who secured silver medals at both the Hong Kong Asian Open in November and the Mandurah Oceania Open in May. His brother, Alex, competed at Birmingham 2022, narrowly missing out on a bronze medal. The judo competition at Glasgow 2026 is scheduled to take place at the SECC from 31 July to 2 August – get ready for some thrilling action!
Adlington's back and ready to rumble: "Experience teaches you a lot and I've definitely got plenty of that," she said. "I'm hoping I can put it to good use at the Games. Competing at Glasgow is a bonus and it's going to be the perfect ending to my career." Scott Cusack also shared his motivation, saying, "Having my mum and dad both compete at the Commonwealth Games, it's always been a thing that I wanted to do. I really want to make them proud."
The full squad comprises: Men: Jaden Calder (-100kg), Scott Cusack (-90kg), Neil MacDonald (-66kg), Gregor Miller (+100kg), Aiden Moffat (-66kg), Daniel Pacitti (-73kg), Ollie Short (-73kg). Women: Sarah Adlington (+78kg), Sunny Doig (-63kg), Eva Ewing (-48kg), Summer Shaw (-48kg), Nicole Wood (-78kg), Sophie Wood (-63kg).