Niall Adams’ hopes of making Guernsey history at Glasgow 2026 came to a cruel end yesterday.
Virtually at the same time as Birmingham 2022 track medallist Alastair Chalmers was successfully qualifying for his second Commonwealth Games final, Adams was being outpointed comprehensively by Namibia’s Tryagain Ndevelo in the 60kg boxing ‘quarters’ – with a medal guaranteed for the winner.
The in-form fighter was denied the claim of being Guernsey’s first Commonwealths boxing medallist through a unanimous-decision loss, with his taller opponent winning the favour of all five judges in each of the three rounds at Scottish Event Campus.
Adams had earlier shown his class by taking a 4-1 split against Sri Lanka’s Ravindu Jayanath, but Ndevelo had also qualified in relatively untroubled fashion.
Guernsey’s hopes of a male individual medallist at these Games now lie in the capable hands of Chalmers.
Ala Chalmers ready to fight for a medal again
Chalmers qualified in assured fashion at Scotstoun Stadium, winning the third and last of yesterday’s 400m hurdles heats.
The 26-year-old strode to an early lead, being challenged only by Jamaica’s Assinie Wilson.
He eased over the line in 48.92sec., finishing 0.27sec. clear of the Jamaican, with GB teammate Joshua Faulds third and the only other sub-50sec. runner in the heat.
The ever-exuberant athlete, who has also just been confirmed as a member of the Great Britain squad for the Birmingham 2026 European Athletics Championships, made sure afterwards to highlight the Guernsey branding on his vest and tell the television cameras, ‘I’m here baby’.
He is to renew rivalry with fellow English stars Seamus Derbyshire and Jake Minshull, who posted sub-49sec. runs in the other heats, in Friday evening’s final.
Abi Galpin began her own Commonwealths campaign in the 200m heats, where a 24.45 for fifth was not enough to repeat her making of the semi-finals at Birmingham 2022.
But the 25-year-old will return to action on Friday aiming to back up her recent excellence in the long jump.
Another Island record in the pool
On the final day of swimming action at Tollcross International, the relay girls lowered the Island 4x100m medley record – not once, but twice.
They placed fourth with 4-22.15 in a tough heat, where they were left chasing the larger nations following backmarkers the Caymans’ early disqualification.
Tatiana Tostevin opened with a 1-04.23 backstroke, then Oriana Wheeler followed with a 1-15.22 breaststroke and Orla Rabey a 1-03.51 butterfly before the in-form Tallulah-Mae Rautenbach closed with a 59.19 freestyle. The previous Guernsey mark stood at 4-23.37 from Birmingham 2022.
They also qualified for the final after going over 9sec. faster than the Isle of Man.
In the final, the same Sarnian quartet clocked 4-21.66 with Tostevin opening up with a 1-04.03 backstroke leg, Wheeler followed with 1-15.43 on breaststroke, Rabey swam 1-03.32 for butterfly and Rautenbach finished with a 58.88 freestyle leg.
The men’s quartet proved less fortunate, completing three of the four legs at the tail of a tough heat before suffering disqualification.
Both of the swim team’s youngsters achieved PBs in the same 200m freestyle heat, where Henry Bolton swam 2-00.90, followed by Zach Maiden’s 2-03.22.
Wheeler concluded her individual campaign with a 2-24.08 in the 200m butterfly.
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