CWG 2026: Southam upsets Chalmers to win 100m freestyle gold; Dolci and Evans shine in gymnastics
Glasgow, July 29
Australia's Flynn Southam produced the standout performance of the swimming competition by storming to the men's 100m freestyle title at the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow on Tuesday night, defeating defending champion Kyle Chalmers in one of the most anticipated races of the meet.
The 21-year-old clocked 47.13 seconds to secure the gold medal, finishing ahead of Wales' Matt Richards, who claimed silver in 47.64, while Olympic champion Chalmers settled for bronze in 47.74 despite entering the final as the fastest qualifier.
Southam had signalled his form earlier in the competition when he set a Commonwealth Games record of 47.09 while leading off Australia's relay on the opening night. He came within four-hundredths of that mark in the individual final to cap a breakthrough performance, according to Olympics.com.
Canada's Josh Liendo finished fourth in 48.08, followed by England's Jacob Mills (48.31), Gabriel Shepherd (48.52) and Jacob Whittle (48.76), while New Zealand's Carter Swift placed eighth in 49.07.
Elsewhere at the Games, the final day of artistic gymnastics saw Canada's Felix Dolci further enhance his reputation with a remarkable medal haul. The Paris 2024 Olympian captured gold in both the men's vault and horizontal bar events and added a bronze on the parallel bars, taking his overall tally in Glasgow to six medals.
Wales also celebrated success through Ruby Evans, who claimed the women's floor exercise title with an impressive score of 13.500. England's Abi Martin earned silver with 13.333, while compatriot Shantae-Eve Amankwaah secured the bronze medal.
Australia added two more gymnastics gold medals as Jesse Moore triumphed in the men's parallel bars and Breanna Scott topped the women's balance beam, rounding off a successful day for the Australians across multiple disciplines.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Great to see Canada's Felix Dolci dominate gymnastics! And Ruby Evans' floor routine sounds amazing. Wish India had more representation in these events. Our Neeraj Chopra is doing wonders in athletics, but we need more support for swimming and gymnastics too. 🇮🇳
Honestly, I'm a bit disappointed that Chalmers couldn't defend his title. But Southam's 47.13 is phenomenal! The standard of swimming in Australia is just next level. Meanwhile, India's swimmers are struggling to even make finals. We need a proper sports policy focusing on grassroots development.
The Canadian gymnastics team is really coming up! Felix Dolci with 6 medals is crazy good. And Ruby Evans for Wales on the floor - that's brilliant. CWG always throws up new heroes. Hopefully some Asian countries can challenge the Aussies and Canadians soon. 💪
Southam's record-breaking relay leg was just a glimpse of what was coming. 47.09 is insane! But I wish the Indian media covered these events more. We only get news about cricket most of the time. Our kids need to see athletes like Southam and Dolci to dream big. 🙏
Not taking anything away from Southam, but I feel Chalmers had an off day. Still, a bronze at CWG is nothing to sneeze at for an Olympic champion. Gymnastics was the real highlight for me - Dolci and Moore were outstanding. Australia dominating as usual!
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