Olympic silver medallist Katarina Johnson-Thompson has pulled out of the Commonwealth Games because of injury. The 33-year-old heptathlete was due to compete at her third Commonwealth Games, having won gold on the Gold Coast in 2018 and at Birmingham in 2022.
Who has replaced the withdrawn athletes?
Team England gave no details of Johnson-Thompson’s issue, only confirming she had been replaced in the squad by Niamh Emerson, who took bronze behind Johnson-Thompson in 2018.
Dina Asher-Smith and Olympic silver medalist Matt Hudson-Smith, who were both set to run relays in Glasgow, have also been replaced, as has Asher-Smith’s sprint team-mate Daryll Neita.
The withdrawal of such high-profile names is a significant blow to the event, on the day the opening ceremony takes place.
Renee Regis, Ebuka Nwokeji, Tara Simpson-Sullivan and Tom Keen have all been added to England’s athletics squad in Glasgow. The track and field competition begins on Monday.
Why are some athletes choosing other events?
England’s Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson had already skipped the event to prioritise the European Championships, which begin in Birmingham on 10 August, leading many to question the event’s significance in the sporting calendar. The squad for the European Championships is expected to be announced next week.
St Lucia’s 100m Olympic champion Julien Alfred has also pulled out of the Glasgow Games, while Canadian swimmer Summer McIntosh, one of the sport’s biggest stars, is favouring the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships.
With the likes of the United States, China and major European nations not part of the Commonwealths, some athletes favour other, more competitive events.
These Games were also hurt by the late confirmation of its dates and schedule, which only came in October last year. The event was originally scheduled for March, but the Australian state of Victoria pulled out as hosts in 2023.
What are organisers saying about the Games?
Speaking on Thursday, organisers insisted the event would be a success despite the absence of some big names.
Scottish athletics medal hopes include new mile world record holder Josh Kerr and defending 10,000m champion Eilish McColgan, while Glasgow 2026 chief executive Phil Batty said focus should be on younger athletes.
We have got an incredible field of athletes,
It is really important to make sure we have those athletes at the pinnacle of their career and you can see that across the sports.
It is equally exciting to see, just like what happened in 2014 [previous Glasgow Games], which athletes this starts that breakthrough moment.
Commonwealth Sport chief executive Katie Sadlier said her organisation would have conversations with other events in the future to create a clearer window.
This Games was a little bit of a challenge because we only had 18 months and it was really difficult to say 'where is the gap in the two-year period?'.
As we move forward more of those conversations will happen.
What else has been said about the Commonwealth Games?
The withdrawals come as organisers look to maintain momentum around the event despite a series of high-profile absences. The absence of Johnson-Thompson, Asher-Smith, Hudson-Smith, Neita, Hodgkinson, Alfred and McIntosh has added to scrutiny over how the Commonwealth Games fits into the international athletics and swimming calendars.
The event’s delayed planning has also drawn attention, with the final dates and schedule confirmed only in October last year after Victoria withdrew as hosts in 2023. That shift left organisers with a shortened timeline to prepare the Games and to secure athlete participation across sports.
Even so, Glasgow 2026 officials said they expect strong performances from the athletes who are competing, including Kerr and McColgan, and argued the Games can still provide opportunities for emerging names to make a breakthrough on the international stage.
Key Facts
- Katarina Johnson-Thompson withdrew from the Commonwealth Games because of injury.
- Johnson-Thompson won gold in 2018 and 2022 and silver at the 2024 Olympics.
- Dina Asher-Smith, Matt Hudson-Smith and Daryll Neita were also replaced.
- Renee Regis, Ebuka Nwokeji, Tara Simpson-Sullivan and Tom Keen were added to England’s athletics squad.
- The track and field competition begins on Monday.
