2026 Commonwealth Games: Day 2 Prelims Live Recap

2026 Commonwealth Games

• July 24 – 29, 2026 (pool swimming)
• Glasgow, Scotland
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  • Prelims: Day 1
  • Finals: Day 1

Well, day 1 at the 2026 Commonwealth Games certainly did not disappoint. We saw six new Games records on the first day of competition, and while we may not quite keep that rate up through the meet there are several stars in the water this morning.

Lani Pallister and Erika Fairweather will lock horns again the 200 free, having placed 1st and 2nd in the 400 free last night. Mollie O’Callaghan is the top seed in 1:52.86, and will be swimming her first individual event of the meet after anchoring Australia’s title-winning women’s 4×100 free relay in 52.81 last night. British record holder Freya Colbert is also one to watch out for as the #3 seed in 1:54.34.

Cam McEvoy is the headline act in the men’s 50 free after his world record at the China Open in March, and fellow Australians Jamie Jack and Flynn Southam will also look to progress to tonight’s semi-finals. Southam set a huge lifetime best on the 100 free last night, so we could be in for something fast from him this morning.

Josh Liendo is next to McEvoy in the final heat, entered nearly a second slower than his lifetime best of 21.48 in a 22.29. He was 48.13 leading off Canada’s 4×100 free relay last night, half a second off his best 47.55 which he swam in both 2022 and 2024.

Chad le Clos goes in the 100 fly after winning his 19th Commonwealth medal last night, which moves him out of a tie to become the most decorated Commonwealth male athlete in history. He is one behind Emma McKeon for the overall title.

Matt Temple is the top seed in that event, with his fellow Aussie Ben Armbruster also seeded under 51 seconds. Liendo again swims next to a top-seeded Australian, entered 4th in 51.17, and will be in the final heat.

Scottish and British record holder Angharad Evans should get a huge reception in the final heat of the women’s 100 breast, seeded over a second ahead of Australian youngster Sienna Toohey. None of the 2022 medalists return in that event, so there are opportunities for the pair to win their first Commonwealth medals as long as they progress safely this morning.

The men’s 400 free sees Sam Short take to the pool for what he will hope is the first of four events with a medal. He leads the psych sheets by over three seconds ahead of 2022 champions Elijah Winnington and 2014 and 2018 bronze medalist James Guy.

Dan Wiffen is also swimming his first event of the meet, and will allow us to gauge the kind of form he is in. His in-season times this season are the slowest they have been since before his breakout in 2023, but at his best he is a podium threat in this event.

Both the men’s and women’s S14 200 free will feature the world record holder, as Will Ellard and Bethany Firth are in action. Ellard set his world record last summer and is the top seed in 1:52.65 for the men, while Firth is the 4th seed in 2:08.60.

We wrap things up this morning with the mixed 4×100 free relay. Australia won both the men’s and women’s relays last night and should be favorites to progress, while Wales will be hoping for redemption after their men’s relay was disqualified in the heats yesterday.

Women’s 200 Freestyle – Prelims

• World Record: 1:52.23 – Ariarne Titmus (AUS), 2024
• Commonwealth Record: 1:52.23 – Ariarne Titmus (AUS), 2024
• Commonwealth Games Record: 1:53.89– Ariarne Titmus (AUS), 2022
• 2022 Champion – Ariarne Titmus (AUS) – 1:53.89

Top 8:

1. Lani Pallister (AUS) – 1:57.02
2. Inez Miller (AUS) – 1:57.45
3. Freya Colbert (ENG) – 1:58.18
4. Mollie O’Callaghan (AUS) – 1:58.22
5. Erika Fairweather (NZL) – 1:58.39
6. Freya Anderson (ENG) – 1:58.47
7. Leah Schlosshan (ENG) – 1:58.75
8. Ella Jansen (CAN) – 1:59.16

Joanna Evans of the Bahamas repeated her front half from the 400 free yesterday, where she went out in 2:01 before closing in 2:16, and split 57.11 at the halfway point to lead Freya Colbert and Freya Anderson. The two English swimmer moved level with Evans over the next 50 meters before pulling away down the final length, with Colbert getting the touch in 1:58.18.

The next heat looked to be all Lani Pallister‘s through the first 50, but Leah Schlosshan and Inez Miller moved almost level at the 100 mark with just 0.07 seconds separating them. Miller led with 50 to go, and both her and Pallister moved away from Schlosshan on the final length as Pallister won the heat in 1:57.02. Miller touched in 1:57.45 behind her, with Schlosshan 3rd in 1:58.75.

Home swimmer Megan Barnes took 4th in 2:01.79, with Harvard’s Alexandra Bastone in 5th for Wales.

The final heat saw a no-show from Northern Ireland’s 18-year-old Grace Davison who placed 7th in the 200 back final last night. Mollie O’Callaghan, Erika Fairweather and Ella Jansen were the class of the field, with O’Callaghan looking smooth as she led by half a body length through the first three lengths. Fairweather wound it up on the final 50 to nearly out-touch her Oceanian rival, but O’Callaghan took the win in 1:58.22, the slowest winning time of the three heats.

Fairweather and Jansen were both under 2:00, with that proving the cutoff between the finalists and those who failed to progress. All eight swimmers to move through were off their season best, as they looked to have kept the fireworks for the final tonight.

Men’s 50 Freestyle – Prelims

• World Record: 20.88 – Cameron McEvoy (AUS), 2026
• Commonwealth Record: 20.88 – Cameron McEvoy (AUS), 2026
• Commonwealth Games Record: 21.30 – Ben Proud (ENG), 2018
• 2022 Champion – Ben Proud (ENG) – 21.36

Top 16:

1. Josh Liendo (CAN) – 21.80
2. Cameron McEvoy (AUS) – 21.87
3. Jamie Jack (AUS) – 21.95
4. Calvyn Justus (RSA) – 22.00
5. Flynn Southam (ENG) – 22.03
6. David Tolu Young (FIH) – 22.16
7. Lamar Taylor (BAH) – 22.20
8. Jacob Mills (ENG)- 22.40
9. Tendo Kaumi (UGA)/Mikkel Lee (SGP) – 22.63
10. –
11. Abduljabar Adama (NGR) – 22.67
12. Bradley Vincent (MRI) – 22.77
13. Antoine Sauce (CAN) – 22.80
14. Luke Arthur Matthew Beukes (NAM) – 22.94
15. Guy Brooks (RSA) – 22.99
16. Marvin Johnson (BAH) – 23.02

Tendo Kaumi was out like a rocket in the final heat before the circle-seeded heats, clocking the first sub-23 seconds swim with a 22.63. That was just off his Ugandan record of 22.40 from the Hungarian Championships this April, and moved him through in 9th.

Flynn Southam took a comfortable win in heat 7 in 22.03, four tenths of a second ahead of Jacob Mills’ 22.40. He eased up slightly towards the end of the race, but was still only three tenths of a second off his lifetime best of 21.72.

Abduljabar Adama from Nigeria took third in the heat in 22.67. Northern Ireland’s Matthew Hamilton, the 12th seed in 22.57, was a no-show.

Jamie Jack just outdid his teammate in the nest heat, overhauling early leader David Tolu Young from Fiji to take the heat win in 21.95. Young was only just behind in 22.16, with the Bahamas’ Lamar Taylor 0.15 seconds off his national record with a 22.20 for third.

The final heat saw an interesting dynamic, with Cam McEvoy holding back through the first 40 meters of the race as Canadian Josh Liendo and South Africa’s Calvyn Justus led the field out. McEvoy was breathing every four strokes until the final meters to go when he turned on the jets.

Egor Kornev breathed four times in his recent 21.06 Russian record swim, so McEvoy may be playing with adding some breaths to his swim to see how it compares to his standard no-breath technique.

Liendo just about held on for the win in 21.80, with McEvoy second in 21.87, a second off his world record. Calvyn Justus clocked 22.00 for third, his second-fastest swim ever and just off the 21.97 he posted at the South African Championships in April, to continue South Africa’s great meet so far.

Women’s 100 Backstroke– Prelims

• World Record: 57.13 – Regan Smith (USA), 2024
• Commonwealth Record: 57.16 – Kaylee McKeown (AUS), 2025
• Commonwealth Games Record: 58.60 – Kaylee McKeown (AUS), 2022
• 2022 Champion – Kaylee McKeown (AUS) – 58.60

Top 16:

1. Iona Anderson (AUS) – 59.86
2. Kylie Masse (CAN) – 59.90
3. Hannah Fredericks (AUS) – 1:00.18
4. Olivia Nel (RSA) – 1:00.59
5. Katie Shanahan (SCO) – 1:00.99
6. Lauren Cox (ENG) – 1:01.12
7. Grace Davison (NIR) – 1:01.21
8. Danielle Hill (NIR) – 1:01.28
9. Amber George (NZL) – 1:01.46
10. Lottie Cullen (NIR) – 1:01.47
11. Jessica Thompson (RSA) – 1:01.54
12. Savannah-Eve Martin (NZL) – 1:01.74
13. Jessica Humphrey (NAM) – 1:01.83
14. Madison Kryger (CAN) – 1:02.19
15. Bex Sutton (WAL) – 1:02.23
16. Holly McGill (SCO) – 1:02.35

Kylie Masse was out in 28.71 in the first of the circle-seeded heats, and slowly pulled away down the second 50 to touch in 59.90 as the only swimmer under 1:00 in the heat. She was just off her entry time of 59.50 and her season-best of 58.87 from Canadian Trials.

Grace Davison, who scratched the 200 free to focus on this event after placing 7th in the 200 back final last night, was second in 1:01.21, ahead of New Zealand’s Amber George. Madison Kryger just about made it through with a 1:02.19, 2.60 seconds off her 59.59 season best.

Davison’s teammate Danielle Hill, who has a lifetime best of 59.11, challenged 200 back bronze medalist Hannah Fredericks for the heat win in the penultimate heat, but it was the Australian who had the stronger second half of the race to take the win in 1:00.18. Katie Shanahan came through in the final few meters as well to touch in second in a time of 1:00.99, splitting 31.04 for the fastest second 50 in the heat.

Hill touched in 1:01.28, just ahead of the third Northern Irish swimmer, Lottie Cullen.

Iona Anderson made it a sweep for lane 4 with a 59.86 to win the final heat and take top spot this morning, Wales’ Bex Sutton had possibly the best opening 25, but Anderson led by halfway as she flipped in 28.85, over half a second ahead of Lauren Cox and Olivia Nel.

Anderson closed in 31.01, while Nel had a stronger back half than Cox to take second in 1:00.59. Cox was third in 1:01.12, with early leader Sutton ending up 5th in 1:02.23.

Both Scottish swimmers made it through the heats, with Holly McGill beating out Canadian Delia Lloyd for 16th, 1:02.35 to 1:02.44.

Men’s 100 Butterfly – Prelims

• World Record: 49.45 – Caeleb Dressel (USA), 2021
• Commonwealth Record: 49.99 – Josh Liendo (CAN), 2024
• Commonwealth Games Record: 50.65 – Chad le Clos (RSA), 2018
• 2022 Champion – Josh Liendo (CAN) – 51.24

Top 16:

Women’s 100 Breaststroke – Prelims

• World Record: 1:04.13 – Lilly King (USA), 2017
• Commonwealth Record: 1:04.82 – Tatjana Smith (RSA), 2021
• Commonwealth Games Record: 1:05.09 – Leisel Jones (AUS), 2006
• 2022 Champion – Lara van Niekerk (RSA) – 1:05.47

Top 16:

Men’s 400 Freestyle – Prelims

• World Record: 3:39.96 – Lukas Maertens (GER), 2025
• Commonwealth Record: 3:40.08 – Ian Thorpe (AUS), 2002
• Commonwealth Games Record: 3:40.08 – Ian Thorpe (AUS), 2002
• 2022 Champion – Elijah Winnington (AUS) – 3:43.06

Top 8:

WOMEN’S S14 200 Freestyle – Prelims

• World Record: 2:02.09 – Bethany Firth (NIR), 2016
• Commonwealth Games Record – 2:07.02, Bethany Firth (NIR), 2022
• 2022 Champion – Bethany Firth (NIR), 2:07.02

Top 8:

MEN’S S14 200 Freestyle – Prelims

• World Record: 1:51.30 – Will Ellard (GBR), 2024
• Commonwealth Games Record – 1:54.97, Nicholas Bennett (CAN), 2022
• 2022 Champion – Nicholas Bennett (CAN), 1:54.97

Top 8:

Mixed 4×100 FREESTYLE RELAY – Prelims

• World Record: 3:18.48 – USA (Alexy, Sammon, Douglass, Huske), 2025
• Commonwealth Record: 3:18.83 – Australia (Cartwright, Chalmers, Jack, O’Callaghan), 2023
• Commonwealth Games Record: 3:21.18 – Australia (Yang, Chalmers, O’Callaghan, McKeon), 2022
• 2022 Champion: Australia (Yang, Chalmers, O’Callaghan, McKeon) – 3:21.18