2026 Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games has an opportunity to be one of many strongest girls’s breaststroke meets on the earth this season, particularly within the 200. Various prime breaststrokers have seen important enhancements all through the season, together with Scotland’s Angharad Evans.
By the Numbers: Women’s 50 Breaststroke
The girls’s 50 breaststroke is the one occasion the place the 2022 gold medalist is returning for 2026. South Africa’s Lara van Niekerokay is the Commonwealth document holder and the Commonwealth Games document holder with the 29.73 she swam to win the occasion in 2022, only one hundredth off her Commonwealth document of 29.72.
Over the previous couple of years, Van Niekerk has not seen fairly the identical degree of success within the occasion, and she or he has not been again beneath 30 seconds for the reason that 2023 World Championships. This season, her season finest sits at 30.26 from the Dubai Open Championships in February, which is the quickest within the area. She shall be one of many favorites for the gold medal, particularly with Angharad Evans electing to not swim it.
Canada’s Sophie Angus had a large efficiency within the occasion on the 2026 Canadian Trials, swimming 30.28 within the prelims of the 50 breaststroke, placing the Canadian document of 30.23 on discover. She shall be searching that document and maybe a gold medal within the occasion this week.
There are a couple of different athletes who’ve been beneath 31 seconds this season. Australian teenager Sienna Toohey has seen an enormous surge over the past 12 months, and she or he solely appears to be enhancing. At the Australian Age Championships, she dropped nearly two tenths to swim 30.39, successful the occasion and inching ever nearer to the Australian document of 30.05, set on the Commonwealth Games in July of 2022.
After Toohey, England has two athletes who’ve additionally been beneath 31 seconds. Imogen Clark is coming in at 30.69 on the GB Swimming Championships in April. Her lifetime finest stands at 30.02 from the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Gabrielle Idle-Beavers is seeded at 30.82, which she additionally swam on the GB Swimming Championships. This was a lifetime finest for her, marking her first time beneath 30 seconds within the occasion. She has seen huge enchancment this season, coming in at 31.63 from the 2025 Championships.
South Africa’s Kaylene Corbett (31.07) and Rebecca Meder (31.52), Cook Islands’ Lanihei Connolly (31.41), and Australia’s Tara Kinder (31.52) shall be battling for the opposite finals positions.
By the Numbers: Women’s 100 Breaststroke
- World Record: 1:04.13, Lilly King (USA) – 2017
- Commonwealth Record: 1:04.82, Tatjana Schoenmaker (RSA) – 2021
- Commonwealth Games Record: 1:05.09, Leisel Jones (AUS) – 2006
- 2022 Commonwealth Games Champion: 1:05.47, Lara van Niekerk (RSA)
- Returning 2022 Commonwealth Medalists: None
The 100 breaststroke has Scotland’s Angharad Evans as the highest seed, and she or he is the heavy favourite to stroll residence with the gold medal. She had a powerful 12 months final 12 months, setting one of many prime occasions on the earth at British Trials of 1:05.37. At Worlds, she completed 18th in prelims and did not qualify for the semifinal. At the 2026 GB Swimming Championships, Evans broke 1:05 for the primary time, swimming 1:04.96 to grow to be the tenth quickest performer all-time within the occasion.
If she will be able to match this efficiency later this week, no person will be capable to problem her for the gold.
South Africa’s Aimee Canny is coming in with a lifetime better of 1:05.97 from the professional Swim Series in Indianapolis in June. This was an enormous drop for her as effectively, taking greater than two seconds off the 1:08.02 mark she swam in May of 2024.
The Aussies need to decide up a medal with Sienna Toohey. She comes into the meet with a lifetime better of 1:05.97 to grow to be the Third-fastest Australian in historical past.
Ella Ramsay is seeded in 1:06.70 she swam on the Australian Trials in June, which was additionally her lifetime finest within the occasion. Tara Kinder shall be Third Aussie within the occasion, and her lifetime finest stands at 1:07.42 which she swam on the NSW State Open Championships in March of 2025.
Canada’s Angus swam a season finest 1:07.08 on the Canadian Trials earlier this month, and she or he shall be attempting to get again to her lifetime better of 1:06.66 from the 2024 World Championships.
Lanihei Connolly is one other potential medalist with the 1:07.40 she swam final 12 months on the World Championships to set a brand new National Record.
South Africa may have Kaylene Corbett (1:07.65), and Rebecca Meder (1:07.50) who shall be attempting to earn their method into the ultimate. Corbett’s lifetime finest stands at 1:06.88 from the 2023 World University Games.
England’s Idle-Beavers additionally had a large enchancment on this occasion this season, and is seeded in 1:07.69, which she swam on the GB Swimming Championships in April. She got here into the season at 1:10.02 from July of 2025. She will possible last if she will be able to match that swim.
By the Numbers: Women’s 200 Breaststroke
Just like within the 100, Evans is the clear alternative for the highest spot within the girls’s 200 breaststroke. In April on the identical British Championships, Evans shattered the British document with a 2:19.70 within the occasion, taking greater than a second off Molly Renshaw’s 2:20.89 document, and shifting as much as ninth all-time within the occasion.
After Evans, there’s a pack of athletes who shall be difficult for the silver medal, all within the 2:23 vary. Kaylene Corbett is the one returning medalist within the occasion from 2022, having gained the bronze medal in 2:23.67. This was a couple of second off her lifetime finest of two:22.06 from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Her season finest stands at 2:23.72 from the South African Nationals in April, the place she gained the silver medal to complete simply behind Aimee Canny’s 2:23.61 in 1st.
Canny is coming off a really robust season on the University of Virginia the place she dropped three-and-a-half seconds within the SCY occasion over the course of the season. She might need a giant drop in her with the two:23.61 she swam at South African Nationals coming in as her lifetime finest within the occasion.
England’s Abbie Wood is seeded in 2:23.76, which she swam in March. Her lifetime finest stands at 2:21.69 from the British Swimming Trials in 2021. Her swim on the Edinburgh Swim Meet in March was the quickest she has swum since 2021.
Finally, Australia has Ella Ramsay, who’s seeded in 2:23.92 and Tara Kinder in 2:24.19. Ramsay’s finest is 2:22.87 from the 2024 Australian Trials, however she by no means swims as quick outdoors of that meet with all three of her quickest occasions in historical past coming from the 2024, 2025, and 2026 Trials. Kinder has been 2:23.84, which she swam on the NSW Open Championships in March of 2025.
Canada’s Sophie Angus (2:24.84) and Sienna Toohey (2:25.24) will possible problem for the opposite two finals spots, although they would wish important drops in the event that they wish to earn a medal.
