2026 Commonwealth Games
- July 24 – 29, 2026 (pool swimming)
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Tollcross International Swimming Centre
- LCM (50m)
- Meet Central
- Preview Index
Women’s Para Swimming Schedule
| Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 |
| 100 freestyle S13
200 IM SM10 |
200 freestyle S14 | 100 backstroke S9 | 100 breaststroke SB8 | 50 freestyle S13 | 100 freestyle S9 |
When the 2026 Commonwealth Games get underway this week in Glasgow, Scotland, there will be seven women’s para swimming events on offer. Though there are some swimmers skipping these Games to focus on other international championships this summer, the women’s para swimming field in Glasgow will be stacked with Paralympic champions along with world and continental record holders. Here are some of the names to watch when the competition begins.
Returning Gold Medalists
Three gold medalists return to defend their titles from the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Let’s kick off Alice Tai, who leads a strong English team for these upcoming Games. Tai won the 100 backstroke S8 at Birmingham 2022, about half a year after her right leg was amputated below the knee because of worsening foot pain from her bilateral talipes.
She’s continued to reach new heights in her career since striking gold in Birmingham. She won six medals at the Paris Paralympics, including the first two individual Paralympic gold medals of her career. Last year, Tai won four gold medals at the World Para Swimming Championships across three different strokes.
Tai typically competes in the S8 classification. The 100 breaststroke SB8 is the only event that fits in that classification in Glasgow, so look for Tai to appear in the S9 classification events like the 100 backstroke and 100 freestyle.
Both the 200 freestyle S14 and 200 IM SM10 remain on the schedule from Birmingham to Glasgow, giving Bethany Firth and Jasmine Greenwood the chance to defend their crowns in their typical classifications.
Firth, a five-time Paralympic gold medalist, won the 200 freestyle S14 in Birmingham for Northern Ireland and was that team’s sole medalist four years ago. That marked her first Commonwealth Games medal. Though she did not podium in this event at the 2025 World Para Swimming Championships, she helped Great Britain sweep the 100 backstroke S14 podium, taking silver and sharing the podium with Poppy Maskill and Georgia Sheffield.
Greenwood also won her first Commonwealth Games medal in Birmingham. Now 21, the Australian Paralympian took gold in the 200 IM SM10 four years ago, beating Canada’s Aurelie Rivard by .97 seconds. Rivard is prioritizing the Pan Pacific Championships this year, meaning that we will not see a rematch between the two. In fact, with Greenwood’s Australian teammate Kiera Stephens also absent, Greenwood will be the lone medalist from this event returning to the field in Glasgow.
More Returning Medalists
Per the rosters released by the federations, there are only four more Birmingham medalists returning for the Glasgow competition. That leaves plenty of opportunity for other swimmers to shine this year.
Scotland, the home team, does have a returning medalist as Toni Shaw is back to swim in front of a home crowd. A bronze medalist at the Tokyo Paralympics, Shaw battled with Australia’s Emily Beecroft to the wall during the 100 freestyle S9 final four years ago. Beecroft—who is also slated to appear at the upcoming Games—won that race, earning the silver in 1:03.74, a hundredth ahead of Shaw. Gold medalist Sophie Pascoe will not be in Glasgow, leaving the way clear for Beecroft and Shaw to go head-to-head again, this time for gold.
Kirralee Hayes and Louise Fiddes round out the quartet of returning silver and bronze medalists. While Hayes is the lone Birmingham medalist from the 50 freestyle S13 racing this week, Fiddes will face Firth, the defending champion, in the 200 freestyle S14. Fiddes is the reigning Paralympic champion in the 100 breaststroke SB14, which she won after earning silver in Tokyo. But she also won bronze in Paris in the 200 freestyle S14—a showcase of versatility that could help her close the gap to Firth this year.
More Names To Watch
As mentioned above, Team England has a stacked roster that includes not only Tai but fellow Paralympic champions like Maskill and Brock Whiston. Maskill was just making her way onto the international para swimming scene four years ago. Her first major international competition of her career was two months prior at the 2022 World Para Championships, where she earned three medals. Maskill just missed the podium in Birmingham, finishing fourth in the 200 freestyle S14.
Now, Maskill returns to the Games as a five-time Paralympic medalist—her three golds and two silvers in Paris made her the most successful athlete for Great Britain at the Paris Paralympics. She won’t get the chance to rack up that type of hardware in Glasgow; the 200 freestyle is the only event in the S14 classification. But as the reigning Paralympic silver medalist, Maskill will be tough competition for Firth.
Whiston, who competes in the S8/SB8/SM8 classifications, is a breaststroke and IM specialist. She won gold in the 200 IM SM8 in Paris, a position she defended at the 2025 World Para Swimming Championships. She’ll likely compete in the 100 breaststroke SB8 in Glasgow, an event she won silver in at the Paris Paralympics. None of the Birmingham medalists return to race in Glasgow.
For the home team, Faye Rogers and Astrid Carroll are two more swimmers to keep an eye on. Rogers is the reigning Paralympic champion and European record holder in the 100 butterfly S10. She’s coming off a successful performance at the 2025 World Para Swimming Championships where she picked up five medals, including gold in 400 freestyle S10.
This will be her first time competing for Team Scotland. That’s also true for the teenaged Astrid Caroll. Carroll is competing at her first Commonwealth Games after bursting onto the international scene last year at the 2025 World Para Championships. Caroll picked up two medals in her breakout meet, winning silver in the 100 breaststroke SB12 and bronze in the 100 backstroke S12. There are no S12 classified events on offer in Glasgow, meaning Carroll will likely have to swim up a classification to S13, where the 50 and 100 freestyle are on offer.
Australia’s Mia Hogan is another teenager to watch. She’s the youngest athlete in the Australian contingent at 14 years old. Hogan races in the S13 category, which could set up for her to race Carroll.
Finally, Katie Cosgriffe is one of just two Canadian women’s para swimmers competing in Glasgow. But she stands to be a major player in the S10 category. Cosgriffe made her Paralympic debut in Paris, where she won bronze in the 100 butterfly S10. The only event in the S10 classification in the 200 IM SM10 and if Cosgriffe is in, look for her to make a charge on the front half of the race. Not only is she the 2024 Paralympic bronze medalist in the 100 butterfly S10, but she picked up another bronze in that event at the 2025 World Para Swimming Championships and added a silver in the 100 backstroke S10.
