Borders swimmer Stephen Clegg goes for Commonwealth Games gold to add to two silvers

That gold medal at this year’s Glasgow games was for S13 50m freestyle, the same event the Newcastleton 30-year old won a silver in at 2022’s in Birmingham, and he secured another silver in between last Friday at S13 100m freestyle.

Clegg, born in Stockport in Greater Manchester but brought up in the Borders, completed Tuesday’s race in 24.73 seconds to edge out South Africa’s Nathan Hendricks, second in 24.84, with Canada’s Nicolas-Guy Turbide third in 24.96 and Clegg’s elder brother James, 32, fifth in 25.50.

This week’s gold, Scotland’s seventh of the current games, was the younger Clegg’s fifth in major competitions, following two at France’s 2024 Paralympics and one apiece at 2023 and 2022’s World Para Swimming Championships in Manchester and Madeira respectively, and he was as delighted as he was surprised to add it to his collection, saying: “I swam beyond myself there and the only reason I could do that was because of my home crowd. I had no expectation of doing that.

“I had my friends, family and closest all here – this is not just my gold medal, it’s theirs as well. I’m nothing without my team – they bring out best in me.

“When I feel sorry for myself and pack it in after a few bad swims, they give me a wake-up call and get me back in the game. I’m hugely grateful to everyone.”

Clegg rates his midweek win as a career high, saying: “Once the anthem started playing, I just started shaking and started to tear up a little bit.

“I’m a very emotional person but I don’t really let them out very often and to show that emotion, I think, speaks louder than words for me.

“That was special beyond words. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I think nothing in my career can really beat that moment, even winning gold at Paris.”

The elder Clegg was also happy with his placing, adding: “I’ll take that result. I’m quite chuffed. That time was faster than I’ve been in a long, long time.”

His younger brother clocked a time of 55.16 seconds in S13 100m freestyle at Tollcross International Swimming Centre on day two of 11 making up this summer’s games to earn his first medal of the event, just over half a second behind Hendricks’ time of 54.54, with England’s Matthew Redfern third in 56.86.

He was delighted to have overcome recent injury woes to follow up his silver in the West Midlands four years previously with more of the same, saying: “I’m very happy.

“The Commonwealths are the only time I’ll be happy with a silver medal.

“It was such a fun race and every time I swim at the Commonwealth Games I just have the best time.

“This season has been really challenging after such a long lay-off after Paris with injuries and surgery.

“I’ve only had half a season to prepare for these games, which isn’t ideal, and when I’ve raced this year, whether for GB or Edinburgh University, they’ve not been strong performances and I’ve been left disappointed with the outcomes.”

Clegg’s brother James was joint-fourth with India’s Karthik Budigina in the same race in 57.57 and his younger sibling was glad to have finally got the chance to compete with him, saying: “He took such a long time out of the sport that our career paths have never really overlapped.

“This is actually our first international meet together, which is crazy at 30 and 32 years old, but it’s been really special as brothers to do this, and having been out of the sport for so long, he’s exceeded my expectations of him and I really hope he’s proud of what he’s done.”

The two-years-senior Clegg, making his Team Scotland debut, added after that race: “I am absolutely loving every part of this.

“Coming fourth there, I’ll be honest, I’m ecstatic about.

“I feel so different to how I was when I was younger. I am so grateful about being here. I’m not feeling any pressure.

“Racing alongside Stephen is quite a special thing to do as brothers. There are not many brothers, let alone blind brothers, who get to do this together.”

Jedburgh’s Lucy Hope has also been representing the region in the Tollcross pool, competing at women’s 4x200m freestyle relay alongside Megan Barnes, Evi Mackie and Evie Davis, and, like the elder Clegg, she had to be content with fourth place, with Australia winning gold, England silver and New Zealand bronze.

Hope, second to swim for her team, clocked 2:01.15, following Barnes’s opening 1:59.82, with Mackie on 2:01.34 and Davis on 2:01.27 for a total time of 8:03.58, 21 seconds off pole position.

The 29-year-old said: “It’s always tough, the 4×2 – it’s tough to race these other countries.

“Australia are in a league of their own and England aren’t that far off them, so I think we just had to stick to our own race plan and not get too caught up with what everyone else was doing.

“We knew New Zealand would be fast next to us, so we thought ‘maybe shift over a little bit and don’t go out too hard’, though I don’t think Evie listened to that part of the race chat, but we got to the end and it was a lot of improvement from the last Commonwealth Games. These girls in 2030, they’ll improve on even that and will make the breakthrough.”

Hope and Davis, 22, also took part in last Friday’s 4x100m freestyle relay with Emma Wood and Katie Shanahan, finishing fourth in that too, in 3:39.03, with Australia, England and South Africa, in that order, taking gold, silver and bronze.

Galashiels boxer Lara Brown, Cardrona netball player Cerys Finn and Duns weightlifter Maddie Rosher are also representing the region at the games, on until this coming Sunday.