Olympic champion. World champion. World record holder.
And, as of Sunday (26 July), Australia’s Cam McEvoy has added Commonwealth champion to that list.
“That’s my last infinity stone for all the big competitions,” the splash-and-dash king said after blazing to a championship record to claim the men’s 50m freestyle title at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
McEvoy touched the wall in a stunning time of 20.97 seconds with compatriots Flynn Southam (21.44) and Jamie Jack (21.47) finishing second and third, respectively.
The 32-year-old McEvoy has breathed new life into his swimming career over the last two years, starting with his gold medal at Paris 2024 before chopping 0.2 seconds off the 17-year-old 50m free world record earlier this year.
Swimming from lane 3, McEvoy was out of the blocks like a rocket and opened clear water on the chasing field to touch first, 0.47 ahead of his nearest rival for an imperious performance for the gold.
Jack came into the race as the top seed after setting the third-fastest time ever with a 21.55 in the semi-finals. He could not emulate that performance and had to be content with bronze.
Minutes after successfully defending his 100m butterfly title, Josh Liendo was back in the pool, narrowly missing out on a spot on the podium, settling for fourth place.
McEvoy added another feather to his cap, completing his gold collection at major championships in the 50m freestyle event.
“The gold medal is amazing! To go two-oh again (sub-21), no one has done it twice, I’ve been able to do that, so I am very happy,” McEvoy said.
“It is my first individual medal at the Commonwealth Games. I was silver here 12 years ago with a 22.0, so I am over a second quicker. It has been a long journey, but I got there in the end.”
McEvoy said that while he was delighted with the gold medal, LA28 was the ultimate goal, and he would be looking to defend his title successfully.
“There is some low-hanging fruit that I can work on and maybe move the needle a bit more, but the world is also catching up in depth,” he said.
“I cannot cruise into LA 2028, I still have to be locked in all the time.”
read more: https://www.olympics.com/en/news/commonwealth-games-2026-cam-mcevoy-goes-sub-21-championship-record-50m-freestyle-gold
