Team SA Commonwealth Games 2026: Final Days & Campaign Wrap-Up
The second half of the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow saw Team South Africa expand their medal collection beyond the pool, making significant strides in track and field, judo, and para athletics. Facing intense international competition across the final days of action, South African athletes delivered several standout victories, ultimately bringing their total medal haul to 28, surpassing their tally from Birmingham 2022.
Athletics & Para Athletics Breakthroughs
Track and field action at Scotstoun Stadium generated several podium finishes alongside notable final performances.
Sinesipho Dambile: Delivered a dominant performance in the men's 200m. After posting a semi-final time of 19.82 seconds, the second-fastest time in Commonwealth Games history, he went on to claim Gold in the final with a time of 19.96 seconds.
Masala Makatu: Secured Team SA's first track and field medal of the Games by capturing Gold (listed as Silver in final team tallies) in the men’s T12 100m final with a personal best time of 11.04 seconds. Makatu was subsequently selected as Team SA’s flagbearer for the closing ceremony.
Kyle Rademeyer: Earned Silver in the men’s pole vault final after clearing a season's best height of 5.70m.
Zakithi Nene: Claimed Bronze in the men's 400m final, running 45.21 seconds from lane 2.
Key Finalists: Aiden Smith placed 4th in the men's shot put final (20.31m), Jaco Smit finished 4th in the men's T12 100m (11.24s), Marione Fourie finished 4th in the women’s 100m hurdles final (12.66s), and Douw Smit placed 4th in the men's javelin.
Combat Sports, Cycling & Team Events
Judo: Donne Breytenbach earned Team SA’s first non-swimming medal of the second block, winning Bronze in the women’s -57kg division via Ippon against Marie Begue of Mauritius. Timothy Meuwsen secured Silver in the men's -81kg division following a narrow decision loss in the final against Malaysia's Amir Daniel Bin Abdul Majeed.
Netball: South Africa was eliminated from medal contention following a tight 58-54 defeat to England in Pool A. However, the team rebounded in the 5th/6th classification match, defeating Uganda 62-54, powered by a 48-goal performance from shooter Elmere van der Berg.
Track Cycling: Mitchell Sparrow advanced to the repechages in the Keirin and placed 16th in the 1000m time trial (62.482s). S’annara Grove competed across endurance events, placing 13th in the 10km Scratch race, 16th in the 25km Points race, and 22nd in the elimination race.
Final Medalists & Code Breakdown
Medalists Breakdown
Medal
Athlete / Team
Sport
Event
🥇 Gold
Pieter Coetze
Swimming
Men’s 50m Backstroke
🥇 Gold
Pieter Coetze
Swimming
Men’s 100m Backstroke
🥇 Gold
Pieter Coetze
Swimming
Men’s 200m Backstroke
🥇 Gold
Lara van Niekerk
Swimming
Women’s 50m Breaststroke
🥇 Gold
Nathan Hendricks
Para Swimming
Men’s S13 100m Freestyle
🥇 Gold
Christian Sadie
Para Swimming
Men’s S7 50m Freestyle
🥇 Gold
Sinesipho Dambile
Athletics
Men’s 200m
🥈 Silver
Aimee Canny
Swimming
Women’s 100m Breaststroke
🥈 Silver
Aimee Canny
Swimming
Women’s 200m IM
🥈 Silver
Michael Houlie
Swimming
Men’s 50m Breaststroke
🥈 Silver
Erin Gallagher
Swimming
Women’s 50m Butterfly
🥈 Silver
Kaylene Corbett
Swimming
Women’s 200m Breaststroke
🥈 Silver
Nathan Hendricks
Para Swimming
Men’s S13 50m Freestyle
🥈 Silver
Danika Vyncke
Para Swimming
Women’s S13 50m Freestyle
🥈 Silver
Team SA
Swimming
Mixed 4x100m Relay
🥈 Silver
Masala Makatu
Para Athletics
Men’s T12 100m
🥈 Silver
Timothy Meuwsen
Judo
Men’s -81kg
🥈 Silver
Kyle Rademeyer
Athletics
Men’s Pole Vault
🥉 Bronze
Ruard van Renen
Swimming
Men’s 50m Backstroke
🥉 Bronze
Ruard van Renen
Swimming
Men’s 100m Backstroke
🥉 Bronze
Olivia Nel
Swimming
Women’s 100m Backstroke
🥉 Bronze
Erin Gallagher
Swimming
Women’s 100m Butterfly
🥉 Bronze
Donne Breytenbach
Judo
Women’s -57kg
🥉 Bronze
Zakithi Nene
Athletics
Men’s 400m
🥉 Bronze
Team SA
Swimming
Men’s 4x100m Freestyle Relay
🥉 Bronze
Team SA
Swimming
Women’s 4x100m Freestyle Relay
🥉 Bronze
Team SA
Swimming
Men’s 4x100m Medley Relay
🥉 Bronze
Team SA
Swimming
Women’s 4x100m Medley Relay
Leading Individual Medalists (Including Relays)
5 Medals: Pieter Coetze (3 Gold, 2 Bronze)
5 Medals: Aimee Canny (2 Silver, 3 Bronze)
5 Medals: Erin Gallagher (2 Silver, 3 Bronze)
4 Medals: Ruard van Renen (4 Bronze)
Medals by Sporting Code
Swimming: 18
Para Swimming: 4
Athletics: 3
Judo: 2
Para Athletics: 1
Final Commonwealth Games Standings
Team SA completed the Games ranked 11th overall out of the 36 competing nations and territories, collecting 7 Gold, 11 Silver, and 10 Bronze medals.
Rank
Team
Gold
Silver
Bronze
Total
1
Australia
70
45
56
171
2
England
29
45
36
110
3
Canada
19
20
23
62
4
India
13
17
9
39
5
Scotland
13
9
17
39
6
New Zealand
10
14
12
36
7
Nigeria
10
7
7
24
8
Jamaica
10
4
5
19
9
Wales
9
10
12
31
10
Malaysia
8
3
5
16
11
South Africa
7
11
10
28
Campaign Summary & Conclusion
The 2026 Commonwealth Games officially concluded at The Hydro following the formal closing ceremony. Team South Africa’s campaign stood out for its aquatic dominance, anchored by multi-medal performances from Pieter Coetze, Aimee Canny, and Erin Gallagher, alongside crucial podium finishes on the track and judo mat. Finishing 11th overall with 28 medals, the 112-athlete contingent completed a successful tour in Glasgow, building momentum for future international competitions.
Images: Team South Africa
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