2026 Commonwealth Games Previews: Australia Makes A Bid For Control Of Men’s Butterfly Events

2026 Commonwealth Games

• July 24 – 29, 2026 (pool swimming)
• Glasgow, Scotland
• Tollcross International Swimming Centre
• LCM (50m)
• Meet Central
• Preview Index
• Entries

Men’s 50 Butterfly: By The Numbers

• World Record: 22.27 – Andriy Govorov, Ukraine (2018)
• Commonwealth Record: 22.68 – Ilya Kharun, Canada (2025)
• Commonwealth Games Record: 22.81 – Ben Proud, England (2022)
• 2022 Commonwealth Champion: Ben Proud (ENG) – 22.81
• Returning Medalists: Silver – Tzen Wei Teong (SGP), Bronze – Cameron Gray (NZL)

There’s a vacancy at the top of the Commonwealth men’s 50 butterfly rankings. Ben Proud, the 2022 Commonwealth Games champion in this event and the current Commonwealth Games record holder, has turned his focus to the Enhanced Games. Further, Ilya Kharun is no longer eligible to race at these championships since switching to represent the United States.

In that power vacuum, it’s the Australians who lead the way into Glasgow. The trio of Kyle Chalmers, Ben Armbruster, and Cam McEvoy are the top ranked Commonwealth swimmers in the global rankings this season and the only ones who have been sub-23 seconds coming into the Commonwealth Games.

It’s the 28-year-old Chalmers leading the way after his 22.77 lifetime best from the Australian Open. He rattled Matt Targett’s 22.73 super-suited Oceanic record from the 2009 Championships and dropped from his 22.89 previous lifetime best. The swim currently checks in as the fifth-fastest in the world this season. With the stroke 50s on offer at the LA 2028 Olympics, this season presents an interesting touch point for Chalmers if he’s looking to add another event into his schedule.

The three Australians are all ranked in the global top 15 this season. Armbruster and McEvoy battled it out at Australian Trials, both setting lifetime bests as Armbruster pipped McEvoy, 22.90 to 22.92. Those two times rank 10^th and 12^th in the world this season, giving the Australians a strong chance at a podium sweep in Glasgow. That would be a huge turn around from four years ago when the Australians were shut out of the 50 butterfly final entirely.

There are plenty of swimmers looking to break up the Australian strong hold on this event. England’s lone entrant, Jacob Peters, knocked on the door of 23 seconds at the GB Championships in April with a 23.11. He owns a lifetime best of 22.84 from the 2023 World Championships and was 5^th in this event in Birmingham. Meanwhile, Josh Liendo’s best is a 23.11 from the 2025 World Championships.

Liendo is perhaps the biggest question mark coming into this meet. He was named to this team last October and skipped the Canadian Trials, leaving the Mel Zajac Invitational as the most recent benchmark for his 2026 season. He swam a 23.81 at that meet, but clearly has more in the tank. Liendo is the reigning 100 butterfly Commonwealth Games champion and finished 6^th in the 50 fly four years ago. The 50 fly has not been his priority at international meets to this point in his career, as he’s instead focused on the 100 butterfly, and 50/100 freestyle. A 50 butterfly medal in Glasgow would mark his first 50 butterfly medal at a major senior international meet.

The returning silver medalist Teong Tzen Wei and bronze medalist Cameron Gray will also be eager to return to the podium. Teong is part of a strong 1-2 punch for Singapore as he and Mikkel Lee both own 23-mid season bests. It’s Lee who has the faster season best of the two, courtesy of his 23.19 lifetime best at the Bergen Swim Open. Teong has been as fast as 23.03, which he swam in the 2022 World Championship semifinal.

New Zealand’s Gray made it onto the podium by a hundredth four years ago, finishing just ahead of Dylan Carter in 23.27. That swim still stands as Gray’s lifetime best and this season he’s been as fast as 23.91, which gives him some ground to make up on the rest of the field in order to defend his spot on the podium.

In a field littered with swimmers who own bests in the 23 low to mid range, two other names to keep an eye on are Dean Fearn and Chad Le Clos. The 18-year-old Fearn is holding it down for the Scottish home team in this event. He swam a 23.29 at the 2025 European Junior Championships for his current lifetime best and has been as fast as 23.66 this season. Le Clos clocked 23.69 at the Canet stop of the Mare Nostrum tour. He’s more well known for his 100/200 butterfly skill, but Le Clos has opted against the 200 butterfly in Glasgow. His lifetime best here is a 23.23, which he swam over ten years ago at the 2015 World Cup.

Men’s 100 Butterfly: By The Numbers

• World Record: 49.45 – Caeleb Dressel, United States (2021)
• Commonwealth Record: 49.99 – Joshua Liendo, Canada (2024)
• Commonwealth Games Record: 50.65 – Chad Le Clos, South Africa (2018)
• 2022 Commonwealth Champion: Josh Liendo (CAN) – 51.24
• Returning Medalists: Gold – Josh Liendo (CAN), Silver –Matthew Temple (AUS)

The 50 butterfly may not be Liendo’s focus on the international stage, but he’s made himself a major factor in a crowded 100 butterfly scene. He won the silver medal at the Paris Olympics—his first Olympic medal—with a Canadian record 49.99. That swim makes him one of a select club of swimmers that have cracked the 50 second barrier.

As mentioned above, Liendo skipped out on Canadian Trials and even though he raced at the Mel Zajac Invitational, he skipped the 100 butterfly at that meet. His resume makes him the favorite in this race, but there are questions about what form he’s bringing to Glasgow.

Liendo will need to be on form; even though fewer countries are eligible for this meet than the Olympics or World Championships, there’s competition to be found. His toughest test will come from Australia’s Matt Temple, who finished second to him in this event at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Liendo won that race in Birmingham with a 51.24, touching ahead of Temple and James Guy, who tied for silver in 51.40.

Like Liendo, Temple has improved in the intervening four years. A two-time Olympic finalist in this event, Temple owns a 50.25 lifetime best from the 2023 Japan Open. He’s approached that time already this season with a 50.50 at Australian Trials, which is the second-fastest swim of his career. The time ranks 4^th in the world this season and first among those competing in Glasgow.

With Liendo and Temple in the field, it seems like the top two swimmers are set and there will be a major fight to be the third man on the podium. Australia’s Armbruster and England’s Edward Mildred have asserted themselves as the most likely candidates. They are 10^th and 11^th respectively in the global rankings this season, separated by just two-hundredths. Armbruster’s got the edge with a 51.00 with Mildred holding a 51.02. Mildred’s time, done at the 2026 GB Championships, marks a lifetime best but Armbruster has cracked the 51 second barrier before. His lifetime best stands at 50.91 from the 2025 TYR Summer Championships.

Their season bests put them in their own tier flirting with the 51 second barrier. The next fastest swimmers this season have been Jacob Peters and Harrison Turner, who are holding it down in the 51-mid range. Peters cracked the global top 25 in this event this season, currently sitting 22^nd with a 51.34 from April. That puts him within arm’s reach of his lifetime best 51.16. Both his lifetime best and current season best were done at GB Championships (the former at the 2023 edition). To get on the podium in Glasgow, Peters will need to figure out how to peak at the championship meet. Turner is a 200 butterfly specialist and owns the Australian record in that event (more on that later). He had a breakthrough in the 100 butterfly earlier this season, popping a lifetime best 51.47 that means he’s currently projected to be in the middle of the Commonwealth Games final.

Le Clos finished 4^th in this event in Birmingham with a 51.61. His lifetime best is a 50.65 that would put him in the hunt for gold with Liendo and Temple. It’s been a while since le Clos approached that speed but at this kind of championships, le Clos does not need to be pushing that kind of speed to be a threat for the podium. His experience should benefit him in a final filled with younger stars. That includes his countrymate, Ruard van Renen.

Van Renen is best known to U.S. based fans for his sprint backstroke at the NCAA level but he’s flexed his speed in both butterfly and freestyle while swimming for Georgia. He translated that yards speed to a 100 butterfly lifetime best in the long-course pool at South African Championships this spring. Van Renen swam a lifetime best 52.27, touching just behind le Clos’s season-best 52.18 effort. A repeat of that performance could give South Africa two swimmers in the final.

There stands to be plenty of turnover from the Birmingham final to Glasgow as Guy, Cody Simpson, Finlay Knox, and Jamie Ingram are all absent for various reasons. Coupled with Singapore not entering any swimmers per the meet website, there are plenty of opportunities for new names to breakthrough. Lewis Fraser finished 10th in this event last year, just missing out on a lane in the finals. But armed with his new lifetime best of 51.81, which is also a Welsh senior record, Fraser is posed to break through this year. Also keep an eye on the likes of Fearn, Jesse Ssengonzi, and Benjamin Loewen to grab a lane in the final.

Men’s 200 Butterfly: By The Numbers

• World Record: 1:50.34 – Kristof Milak, Hungary (2022)
• Commonwealth Record: 1:52.80 – Ilya Kharun, Canada (2024)
• Commonwealth Games Record: 1:54.00 – Chad Le Clos, South Africa (2018)
• 2022 Commonwealth Champion: Lewis Clareburt (NZL) – 1:55.60
• Returning Medalists: Gold – Lewis Clareburt (NZL)

Both the 50 and 100 butterfly have two returning medalists. The 200 butterfly only has one Birmingham medalist back in the field for these championships and it’s the gold medalist Lewis Clareburt. The Kiwi stormed home during the 2022 final—he made his final turn in third behind le Clos and Guy but fired off a 30.42 final 50 to get his hands on the wall .10 seconds ahead of le Clos in a 1:55.60. Clareburt has gone faster since, swimming a 1:55.24 at the 2025 World Championships. He has not raced the 200 butterfly this season but still expect him to make a stand to defend his spot on the podium.

With three men already faster this season than Clareburt’s 2022 winning time, it may take a best from Clareburt to do just that.

Duncan Scott, Scotland’s most decorated Olympian, leads the way into these championships with his 1:54.97 from the GB Championships this spring. He rattled his lifetime best of 1:54.89 from the 2025 GB Championships with the swim. Both of those efforts put him within a half-second of the British record, a super-suited 1:54.58 from Michael Rock at the 2009 World Championships.

While Scott is the only man in the field to break 1:55 seconds so far this year, he’s got two swimmers within a tenth of him. Mildred swam a lifetime best 1:55.03 to finish behind Scott at this year’s GB Championships. That time ranks him 12^th in the world this season, while Scott checks in at 10^th. The 23-year-old Mildred earned three medals at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, all as part of England’s relays. Now, he’s in position to challenge for the first individual Commonwealth Games medals of his career.

Turner is also well within range of Scott with his 1:55.07 season-best from the Queensland Championships. Scott owns the fastest season best of the entrants, but Turner has the fastest lifetime best. He popped a 1:54.17 for bronze at the 2025 World Championships, setting an Oceanian record as well. Arguably, Turner’s lifetime best combined with a strong in-season effort makes him the gold medal favorite heading into the championships.

We talked about the finalists changeover from 2022 to 2026 in the men’s 100 butterfly but it will be even more dramatic in the 200 butterfly. Six of the Birmingham finalists aren’t racing this event in Glasgow, including le Clos, who has moved away from this event in recent years.

The four entrants we’ve already mentioned are the sure-fire favorites for the final and the most likely medal contenders. But behind them, there’s still half the final to fill out. Who will step up and make the most of the chance?

Some of those looking to take advantage are swimmers we know best for their prowess in other events. Temple has made his name on the international butterfly scene in the 100 meter distance. But, he’s trying his hand at the 200 this season. He swam a 1:55.78 to qualify for the Commonwealth Games. That puts him just over a half-second off his lifetime best 1:55.21 from 2021.

Perhaps even more unusual, Luke Greenbank is on the 200 butterfly entry list. Yes, butterfly, not backstroke. An Olympic medalist in the 200 backstroke, Greenbank swam a lifetime best 1:57.80 this spring. It’s a time that should put him right in the mix for a spot in the final. It’s five-hundredths ahead of the lifetime best Se-Bom Lee swam in Australia. Lee is primarily known as a 400 IMer, but we’ve seen that translate well to the 200 butterfly. A good swim from Lee in the prelims could mean that Australia would put three into the final of every men’s butterfly event on offer in Glasgow.

Benjamin Loewen and Kris Mihaylov are two other swimmers likely to be involved in the fight for the final. The lone entrant from Canada, Loewen owns a lifetime best 1:56.71 from the 2025 World University Games. A lifetime best in the 1:56 range gives him an edge over swimmers like Lee and Greenbank.

Finally, with le Clos skipping this event, Mihaylov is one of two South African swimmers looking to pick up the mantle in this race. Mihaylov has also dipped well into the 1:56 range as he swam a 1:56.16 for gold at the 2025 World Junior Championships. He’s only been as fast as 1:58.61 this season, but expect him to be much faster than that this week.