Second Commonwealth Games silver medal win for Borderer Stephen Clegg at Glasgow 2026
Swimmer Stephen Clegg won the Borders’ first medal of 2026’s Glasgow Commonwealth Games, claiming a silver for S13 100m freestyle last Friday.
The Newcastleton 30-year old clocked a time of 55.16 seconds in that event on day two of 11 making up this summer’s games, just over half a second behind South African winner Nathan Hendricks’ time of 54.54.
England’s Matthew Redfern was third in 56.86.
Clegg was delighted to have overcome recent injury woes to follow up his silver medal for S13 50m freestyle at 2022’s games in Birmingham 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.
“I took it to Nathan there and tried to challenge him as much as I could. I got a look at him with 25 to go and I was still pretty close to him, so I was happy with that as he’s a talented young man.
“When he took the touch, I said to him that would be the first of many for him. He’s super-exciting.”
Clegg’s elder brother James, 32, was joint-fourth with India’s Karthik Budigina in the same race at Tollcross International Swimming Centre in 57.57 and his 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 elder Clegg, making his Team Scotland debut, added: “I am absolutely loving every part of this.
“The last few days coming into Glasgow have been great and 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.
“I used to be one of the best blind swimmers in the world, and racing here I’m thinking I want some of that back.
“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.”
The Cleggs are back in action shortly after 7pm tonight, July 28, at S13 50m freestyle.
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.