Eilish McColgan withdraws from Commonwealth Games as injury recovery continues
- Andrew Batchelor
- 3 hours ago
- 2 min read
Dundee athletics star Eilish McColgan has confirmed she will no longer compete at the 2026 Commonwealth Games as she continues her recovery from injury.
The reigning Commonwealth champion had been due to defend her women’s 10,000m title in Glasgow, but revealed she has been forced to withdraw after running out of time to regain full fitness following a broken toe.
Sharing the news with fans on social media, McColgan said the decision would “not come as a huge surprise” after spending almost 10 weeks out following April’s London Marathon.
Eilish explained that while she has now returned to running, she has only recently resumed training and has not recovered enough to return to racing in spikes.
She wrote: “The good news? I’m back running! The bad news? I’ve simply ran out of time to get myself (and my toe!) back into spikes. It turns out breaking your toe as a runner is pretty important.”
McColgan admitted she had been confident of retaining her Commonwealth title after enjoying one of the strongest starts to a season in her career. Earlier this year she set a new European 10km record and also claimed the masters world record for her age category.
Despite missing out on competing in front of a home Scottish crowd, the Dundee athlete said she was at peace with the decision, knowing she had done everything possible to return in time.
“I gave it absolutely everything to get back and compete at home in Scotland,” she said. “But having only taken my first running steps two weeks ago, the clock was always against me.”
Although she will not be lining up on the start line, McColgan confirmed she will still be in Glasgow throughout the Games supporting Team Scotland and encouraged spectators to come and say hello if they spot her.
She also reassured fans that her season is far from over, revealing she expects to return to racing later this year.
McColgan’s withdrawal is a significant blow for Team Scotland and for Dundee supporters hoping to see one of the city’s greatest athletes defend the gold medal she memorably won at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Regardless of this setback, Eilish McColgan’s place in Commonwealth Games history is already secure, becoming Commonwealth champion in Birmingham at the 10,000m which would later go on to be voted the greatest Commonwealth Games moment of all time.
