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Glasgow 2026 glory for Winning Students 100 scholars

Winning Students 100 scholars and alumni played a starring role at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, bagging an outstanding 17 medals and delivering a host of record-breaking performances.

More than 50 current and former scholars represented Team Scotland across 11 sports, balancing elite competition alongside further and higher education while showcasing the success of Scotland’s world-leading dual career programme.

Across the Games, the group claimed four gold, seven silver and six bronze medals, while producing Games Records, Scottish Records and personal bests across swimming, athletics, cycling and artistic gymnastics.

Athletes from eight colleges and universities across Scotland competed on one of the biggest stages in world sport, with 27 current Winning Students 100 scholars and a further 25 programme alumni making up almost 30% of Team Scotland.

The medal haul was led by University of Stirling student and Winning Students 100 scholar Angharad Evans, who claimed two gold medals in the women’s 100m and 200m breaststroke, with her 200m title marking the first major international medal of her career.

Winning Students 100 alumnus Duncan Scott – Britain’s most decorated swimmer – secured Games gold in the men’s 200m individual medley with a Games Record performance, while University of Edinburgh student and current scholar Faye Rogers added another title in the women’s 200m individual medley SM10.

Swimming once again demonstrated the depth of talent supported by Winning Students 100. University of Stirling scholar Katie Shanahan claimed silver in the women’s 200m backstroke, while fellow student athlete Toni Shaw (University of Aberdeen) and alumni Stephen Clegg and Keanna MacInnes all added to Scotland’s medal tally.

Keanna twice lowered the Scottish Record on her way to two silver medals, while scholars and alumni also helped Scotland secure medals in both the mixed and women’s medley relays. 

Current scholars Lucy Grieve, Anna Morgan, Ciara Schlosshan, Holly McGill and Evelyn Davis all contributed to Scotland’s relay success, with Scotland also setting a new Scottish Record in the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay.

Beyond the podium, Winning Students 100 athletes continued to impress and inspire in and out of the pool. Lucy Grieve reached the first individual Commonwealth Games final of her career in the 50m butterfly with a personal best, while both she and Ciara Schlosshan recorded lifetime bests in the 100m butterfly. 

Inspirational Archie Goodburn, who was the recipient of the scholarship’s André Reibig Medal 2024-25, is living with terminal brain cancer and won hearts and minds around the world as he used his platform at the Games to call for better brain cancer treatment and increased funding for research into rare cancers.

The programme’s impact extended right across the programme of sports at the Games, with athletes reaching podiums, finals and historic milestones in sports ranging from athletics and cycling to wheelchair basketball, artistic gymnastics and para powerlifting.

University of Stirling scholar Cameron Lynn secured artistic gymnastics bronze on the pommel horse, alongside a top-10 finish in the all-around competition and fifth place on the horizontal bar. Fellow scholar Crystelle Lake also impressed with ninth place in the women’s all-around.

In athletics, University of Edinburgh runner Megan Keith claimed bronze in the women’s 5,000m, while alumnus Stephen McKenzie secured bronze in the men’s long jump. 

Scholar Alyson Bell, and past Winning Students athletes Laura Muir, Sarah Calvert and Christopher Bennett also reached finals, recorded personal bests and helped Scotland achieve a new Scottish Record in the women’s 4x100m relay.

Cycling also brought success, with Commonwealth Games stalwart Mark Stewart winning silver in the men’s elimination race, just days before sitting his rescheduled final exams at the University of Strathclyde. Alumna Lauren Bell also took bronze in the women’s team sprint.

Former and current Winning Students athletes also created history beyond the medal table. Hope Gordon became the first female para powerlifter to represent Scotland and the first Scottish athlete to compete at the Summer Paralympics, Winter Paralympics and Commonwealth Games across three different sports.

Current scholar Shayne Humphries and former Finlay Erskine helped Scotland’s first-ever men’s wheelchair basketball team to a fourth-place finish on its Commonwealth Games debut, while Beth Riva made her Commonwealth Games debut in bowls.

The programme was also proudly represented by scholars past and present Eva Ewing, Sunny Doig, Sophie Wood, Ollie Short, Sarah Adlington and Gregor Miller in judo, each producing impressive performances against world-class opposition, while Alex Mackay represented Scotland in weightlifting at her first Commonwealth Games.

David Bond, Winning Students 100 Advisory Board Member said: “Glasgow 2026 has been an unforgettable Commonwealth Games for our Winning Students 100 community. To see our scholars and alumni contribute 17 medals, break records and perform so brilliantly on home soil is tremendous.

“What makes these performances even more special is that they have been delivered by many athletes balancing elite sport alongside further and higher education. Their success demonstrates exactly why Winning Students 100 exists – to ensure talented student athletes never have to choose between achieving academic ambitions and pursuing sporting excellence.

“While we celebrate every medal, we are equally proud of every scholar who earned the honour of representing Scotland. Congratulations to every athlete, coach, university, college and partner organisation who has helped make these remarkable achievements possible. Glasgow 2026 has provided memories that will inspire the next generation of student athletes for years to come.”

Funded by the Scottish Funding Council and sportscotland, Winning Students 100 is Scotland’s national sport scholarship programme, supporting talented student athletes to balance academic study with high-performance sport. 

Since the original programme launched in 2008, it has supported more than 1,700 student athletes, helping many progress to Olympic, Paralympic, Commonwealth and World Championship success. 

Applications for the 2026–27 Winning Students 100 programme are now open at https://apply.winningstudents-scotland.ac.uk.