Commonwealth Games 2026: Manx swimmers send records tumbling in Tollcross pool

The Isle of Man’s swimmers have certainly made a splash at this week’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

The 14-strong swimming squad have set 13 new island records, with only teenager Oscar Maddrell left to swim in the men’s 1,500m final on Wednesday evening.

That included a new relay record in the final event of the penultimate session of the Games on Wednesday morning at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre in the east of the city.

The quartet of Charlie Foster, Alex Turnbull, Peter Allen and Joel Watterson set a new standard in the men’s 4x100m medley relay, stopping the clock at 3 minutes 53.74 seconds as they finished sixth in their heat. This was nearly five seconds inside the old record of 3.58.66.

The women’s team of Libby Curphey, Laura Kinley, Kiera Prentice and Ella Justice were also in action on Wednesday morning, finishing fifth in their heat in a time of 4:31.68. This made them reserves for the evening’s final.

That swim likely brought to an end Kinley’s association with the Commonwealths, with the breaststroke specialist appearing at her fourth Games having made her debut when the event last visited Scotland in 2014.

Three islanders were meant to face off in the heats of the 200m freestyle, also on Wednesday morning. Watterson and Allen both withdrew to focus on the relay race, while Magnus Kelly was a medical withdrawal after injuring the tendon in his elbow.

On Tuesday evening, the mixed relay team of Justice, Kinley, Allen and Watterson were also in record-breaking form as they finished eighth in the 4x100m final in a time of 4:03.32.

The quartet had already broken the existing Manx record in the day’s earlier heats.

Aside from the records, the squad have set a flurry of personal bests competing against some of the best in the world.