Commonwealth Games 2026: Glasgow Offers Timely Boost as Singapore Athletics Eye Asian Games Charge

The women's 4x100m medley relay team of (from left) Loo, Ong, Tan and Pereira secured a season-best of 45.52s, just missing out on the final in ninth place. Photo: Commonwealth Games SIngapore/ Lim Weixiang

Following a promising SEA Games campaign last December, where Singapore’s largest-ever overseas athletics contingent of 39 athletes claimed three golds, three silvers and three bronzes, the team built on its progress at the Glasgow Games with a series of season-best performances and notable milestones across six days at the Scotstoun Stadium.

On the opening day of athletics competition, sprint queen Shanti Pereira won her 100m heat in a season-best 11.24 seconds, finishing as the third-fastest qualifier to advance to the semi-finals. She followed that up with another season-best performance in the 200m semi-finals, clocking 22.81s to qualify for the final – becoming the first Singaporean individual sprinter to make a final at the Games.

Pereira produced the assured display while racing alongside British Virgin Islands' Adaejah Hodge, who set a Games record of 22.01s and owns the second-fastest time in the world this year over the distance at 21.68s.

Singapore's fastest man Marc Brian Louis also delivered back-to-back season-best performances, clocking 10.38s in the 100m heats before returning to record 20.97s in the 200m heats.

Lee finished in 34th in the men's 200m on his second appearance at the Games. Photo: SpexSG/ Andy Chua.

Reuben Rainer Lee improved on his 2022 showing, going from 21.72s to 21.43s as he finished 34th out of 72.

Rising sprint prospect Harry Curran, 18, the youngest Singaporean to compete in the event, marked his debut with a time of 22.19s.

Middle-distance runner Thiruben Thana Rajan, who broke the 1:50 barrier in the men’s 800m and shattered a 38-year-old national record at the 2025 Asian Championships, became the first Singaporean to compete in the event at the Games.

Having turned professional in February, Thiruben, who competed in the 400m at the 2022 edition, clocked 1:53.89 to finish 24th out of 32 competitors.

Thiruben left his job to become a full-time athlete in February. Photo: SpexSG/ Andy Chua

In the field events, reigning SEA Games bronze medallist Gabriel Lee recorded a season-best of 15.97m to finish seventh out of 12 competitors in the men’s triple jump final, just 0.12m shy of his national record set at the biennial Games.

“(Placing seventh) is a big accomplishment at my first Commonwealth Games. I am quite happy with where I’ve placed, and hopefully there’s more to come,” said the 23-year-old. “(I am aiming to break the national record) and from the jumps today, I can see it’s right there. Especially with my first jump, it was well over the national record, but I fouled it by a little bit. I just have to be patient, and it will come soon.”

Lee rewrote the national record at last December's SEA Games with a leap of 16.09m, surpassing Stefan Tseng’s 16-year-old mark of 16.04m. Photo: Commonwealth Games Singapore/ Lim Weixiang

In the men’s high jump final, SEA Games silver medallist Kampton Kam cleared 2.05m to finish eighth out of 17 competitors.

Meanwhile, Low Jun Yu registered 4.90m to finish 10th out of 13 in the men's pole vault final, competing against a strong field that included Australia's freshly-crowned three-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist and Stockholm Diamond League champion Kurtis Marschall.

In the women’s 4x100m relay heats, Elizabeth-Ann Tan, Kerstin Ong, Shanti Pereira and Amanda Loo posted a season-best 45.52s to finish ninth overall among 12 teams, falling just one place short of a spot in the final.

“Time-wise, I think we would have liked to be closer to the national record or even break it if possible. But then again, we know the conditions were not really in our favour,” Pereira said. “I think we put on our best front. In terms of the exchanges, we were spot on, and that is something we are quite proud of.”

Pereira anchored the team down the home stretch. Photo: Commonwealth Games Singapore/ Lim Weixiang

With an eye on the upcoming Asian Games, Tan appreciated the opportunity as a litmus test for their preparations.

“We rarely get the chance to come together and run the relay at major competitions against strong competitors, so this was one of the good opportunities for us,” the 22-year-old said.

In the men’s 4x100m relay heats, Marc Brian Louis, Tate Tan, Xander Ho and Ian Gan combined for 40.07s to finish 10th out of 14 teams, narrowly missing out on a place in the final by 0.41s.

“I think all of us expected to get a better time than 40.07s. There’s definitely a lot to learn from this competition as we look ahead to the Asian Games. We’ll have to continue training and make some changes, and hopefully come back stronger at the Asian Games and maybe break the national record,” Louis said.

(From left) Gan, Tan, Ho and Louis have their sights set on eclipsing the 2015 national record of 39.24s. Photo: Commonwealth Games Singapore/ Lim Weixiang

But there was confidence that, with some fine-tuning, the relay team could deliver a stronger performance in the future.

“Definitely, our passing is not at its peak yet. We’re still working on it in training, so that is the area we really want to improve on. We know our ground speed is there as well, so as long as we get the passes right and put together a good run, we can deliver a good time,” said Gan.

Louis echoed that sentiment, pointing to the team’s growing chemistry as a positive sign.

“We’ve gotten closer over the past year or so because it’s a new team. We’re still getting used to each other and our passing, but we’re getting there. Just give us a few more months, and we’ll build the chemistry needed to put together a better run in the future,” he said.

The 23rd Commonwealth Games are held in Glasgow from 23 July to 2 August 2026. For the latest Team Singapore coverage and news, follow Team Singapore on their social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok) or visit the official Team Singapore website.