Scottish swimmer Stephen Clegg channels Messi to win gold; relay team takes bronze
Stephen Clegg, who calls himself 'Mariah Cleggy', surprised with a gold medal in the 50m freestyle S14 at the Commonwealth Games, while the mixed medley relay team later secured a bronze.
On Tuesday at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre, Scotland's Stephen Clegg, 30, won an unexpected gold in the 50m freestyle S14, an event for swimmers with intellectual impairments. He said his coach calls him "Mariah Cleggy," likening him to a diva, and compared his ability to perform in big moments to footballer Lionel Messi, who "only shows up for the World Cup." Clegg's winning time of 24.73 seconds was half a second faster than his best all season. This upgraded the silver he won in Birmingham four years ago, when he was younger and physically fitter. Clegg had shoulder surgery after winning double gold at the 2024 Paris Paralympics and struggled through the season. He missed his sister's wedding to prepare for these Games. On the podium, as "Flower of Scotland" played, he trembled and teared up, calling the moment possibly the best of his career, even surpassing his Paris gold. Later, the 4x200m mixed medley relay team of Matthew Ward (backstroke), Angharad Evans (breaststroke), Keanna MacInnes (butterfly), and Duncan Scott (freestyle) won a dramatic bronze, edging out Canada. MacInnes lost ground on the butterfly leg against faster male swimmers, but Scott, taking over in sixth place, made up more than four seconds to touch ahead. It was Scott's 15th Commonwealth medal across four Games. The gold brought Scotland's tally to seven golds and 14 total medals on day five of the 11-day competition.
