Updated: Borderer Lara Brown selected to box for Scotland at 2026’s Glasgow Commonwealth Games
Borderer Lara Brown says she’s “absolutely buzzing” about being selected to represent Scotland at boxing at this summer’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
The Galashiels featherweight, a member of Tranent’s Bronx Boxing Gym, is one of a record five female fighters in the hosts’ 11-strong squad, all of them games debutants.
Brown, 19 this coming Sunday, goes into the games with 17 bouts on her CV, yielding ten wins and seven losses.
Her fellow female teammates are Stephanie Kernachan, Niamh Mitchell, Brooke Neely and Caitlin Rainey.
Their male opposite numbers are Leo Church, Aaron Cullen, Nicholas Devlin, Sonny Kerr, Robert McNulty and Alan Perrie.
Former Earlston High School pupil Brown is looking forward to representing her country, saying: “I’m absolutely buzzing. I’m so excited.
“I knew I was on the longlist and could qualify and I thought I’d maybe done enough to get the points to earn my place but it was still a surprise when I got the phone-call.”
She’s also pleased that she’ll be making her games debut on home turf as she believes a supportive crowd will spur her and her teammates on.
“I’m really glad that it’s a home games,” she said. “I think having a home crowd will push us all to do our absolute best.
“I think we’ve got a really strong team this year. We’re all definitely good enough to at least medal, and if we perform at our best, we can get golds.”
Brown’s been boxing for the last three years and she’s been putting the miles in to reach the level required for a games call-up, making regular round trips of 60-odd miles up to East Lothian and 150 miles north-west to Boxing Scotland’s Glasgow high-performance centre, explaining: “My parents were originally from Tranent and my dad’s best pal is one of the coaches at the Bronx, so that’s how I ended up boxing there.
“I’m through there two or three times a week and I’m up in Glasgow three or four times a week – it just kind of depends what’s on.
“I’ve been training at the Bronx for about three years but I didn’t have my first fight until two years ago because for girls in Scotland it can be a bit of a struggle matching people up.
“My dad’s always taken me on the pads and I used to hit them just for a bit of fitness, and I asked him if I could try boxing and he said yes and that was that. I absolutely love it.”
Brown, newly qualified as a personal trainer at Edinburgh College, currently works part-time at Sports Direct in Galashiels and is grateful for the support she gets there as she boxes clever in pursuit of medals, saying: “Obviously my main focus just now is boxing and they’ve been so good with me, honestly.
“They’re brilliant for letting me take time off or work shifts around my boxing.”
Welcoming Monday’s squad announcement, Boxing Scotland chief operating officer Marianne Crichton said: “We are absolutely delighted to see our nominated Team Scotland athletes confirmed for Glasgow 2026.
“Congratulations to every boxer selected – each one has worked incredibly hard and deserves this opportunity on individual merit.
“A huge thank-you must also go to our coaching team and clubs across the country for the commitment, support and guidance they have provided throughout their journey.
“We are also incredibly proud of the gender split within the team. It reflects the hard work that has been taking place behind the scenes for a number of years to create greater opportunities and pathways for women and girls across Scotland and it is fantastic to see that progress reflected on such a major stage.
“The squad will be aiming to continue Scottish boxing’s proud 96-year tradition of being the only sport to win a medal for Team Scotland at every single edition of the Commonwealth Games.”
Team Scotland’s chef de mission Elinor Middlemiss added: “I am delighted to welcome this talented boxing squad to Team Scotland for a home games this summer.
“It’s particularly exciting to see a record female representation in the sport amongst a group of boxers who have already achieved success on the international stage.”
The games’ boxing bouts, to be hosted by the Scottish Event Campus in Exhibition Way, begin on Friday, July 24, and continue until Saturday, August 1.