Loughborough stars lift five more Commonwealth medals

beehiveweb.co.uk editorial team 2026-08-01 09:31 3 min read

An old, worn wooden winner's podium with red numbers one, two, and three painted on.

By the Beehive Web Sports Desk

Loughborough-linked athletes collected five more medals at the 2026 Commonwealth Games on Friday, adding two golds, one silver and two bronzes across cycling and athletics.

Olivia Breen and Eliza McCartney supplied the gold medals, while Sophie Capewell earned silver. Rhian Edmunds and Imogen Ayris completed the haul with bronze medals, taking the overall tally for Loughborough-linked competitors to 37.

Friday’s results continued a successful Games for all five medallists. Capewell, Edmunds and Breen had already reached the podium in Glasgow, while McCartney and Ayris improved upon or matched medals won at previous Commonwealth Games.

Capewell and Edmunds return to the cycling podium

Current Loughborough University student Sophie Capewell secured her second silver medal in two days at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome. She faced Welsh rider Emma Finucane in the best-of-three women’s sprint final, where Finucane won the contest 2-0.

The result gave Capewell another podium finish during a productive Glasgow campaign. Finucane took gold, with another current Loughborough student, Rhian Edmunds, earning bronze.

Loughborough stars lift five more Commonwealth medals

Edmunds defeated Malaysia’s Nurul Mohd Asri 2-0 in the bronze-medal contest. It was also her second medal of the Games, following the gold she won on Thursday.

The cycling results extended a run of success that had already produced a six-medal day for Loughborough-linked competitors, including Commonwealth and world records.

McCartney and Ayris share pole vault honours

New Zealand’s Eliza McCartney won the women’s pole vault after clearing 4.65 metres. Australian Nina Kennedy reached the same height, but McCartney secured gold because she had recorded fewer faults during the competition.

The victory moved McCartney one place higher than her silver-medal finish at the Gold Coast Games in 2018. Her New Zealand teammate Imogen Ayris cleared 4.35 metres to take bronze, matching the medal she won at Birmingham 2022.

Both pole vaulters train at Loughborough under coach Scott Simpson. Their results demonstrate how the local connection extends beyond current students to international athletes using Loughborough as a training base.

Breen defends her long jump title with a Games record

University-based Olivia Breen added the second gold of the day in the women’s long jump T38 final. The Team Wales captain recorded 5.09 metres, setting a Commonwealth Games record while successfully defending the title she won at Gold Coast 2018.

Breen’s victory followed her silver medal in Monday’s 100 metres T38, giving her two medals in Glasgow. It also meant that each of Friday’s five Loughborough-linked medallists had either collected another medal at these Games or matched an achievement from an earlier Commonwealth competition.

Loughborough-linked tally reaches 37 medals

Loughborough University published the results and athlete connections as part of its Glasgow 2026 coverage. After Friday’s events, competitors linked to Loughborough had accumulated nine gold, 15 silver and 13 bronze medals—a total of 37.

The university is continuing to follow its selected athletes through its dedicated Commonwealth Games website and the social-media hashtag #Lboro2Glasgow.

Source: Loughborough University Press Releases

Context & actions About this article

Source check Source trail

The medal results, performances and Loughborough connections were checked against the university’s published Games report.

Checks

Confirmed the five-medal breakdown as two gold, one silver and two bronze.
Checked the reported sprint results for Sophie Capewell and Rhian Edmunds.
Checked the pole vault heights recorded by Eliza McCartney and Imogen Ayris.
Confirmed Olivia Breen’s 5.09-metre Commonwealth Games record and the overall tally of 37...

Loughborough University Press Releases Check wider coverage