How first Team England gold medal from Mark Swan came as total shock at Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games – ‘I thought I’d come third!’

Mark Swan took an impressive first gold medal for Team England in the men’s lightweight Para powerlifting at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games – but bizarrely, he was the last person to know that he had won.

Most athletes who realise a dream and win a gold medal for their nation are immediately overjoyed, but Swan’s subdued reaction raised eyebrows.

After clearing 220kg with his second lift, an unsuccessful final attempt had Swan thinking he had come up short in his bid for gold.

It was not until later that his coaches informed him that he was the champion, after beating Nigeria's Roland Ezuruike by the narrowest of score margins.

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"He didn’t know he’d won," said TNT Sports commentator Connor Macdonald. "He still can't believe it.

"You’re the champion, Mr Mark Swan."

On the broadcast, Tom Whittaker, British weightlifting Paralympic performance director can then be heard saying: "You’ve won a gold medal. Stop asking if you’ve won… you’ve won!"

‘He didn’t know he’d won’ - Swan’s disbelief after Commonwealth Games triumph

Video credit: TNT Sports

Once the dust had settled, Swan spoke to TNT Sports and explained his reaction and how everything unfolded from his perspective.

"Honestly, I thought I’d come third," Swan said. "So I was like, ‘Oh, okay, third. It is what it is’, and then it was my coach who said, ‘Mark you’ve won’.

"I was like, ‘What?’

"Because they hid it [the weight] on my second attempt, so I couldn’t see anything. So all I had to do was whatever weight was on the bar, go out and lift it. And unfortunately the third lift was what it was, but I’d already won with the second.

"I didn’t have a clue."

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Swan took silver in the 65kg category at the Paris 2024 Paralympics and silver at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games in the men’s lightweight event, so this is a first major championships gold for the 25-year-old.

And he hopes this opens the floodgates for Team England.

"It means absolutely everything," Swan added. "My face might not show it, but it really means a lot.

"Going into these Games, I was ready for a battle. I knew it was going to be a battle. But I knew all the training I’d done had paid, and there’s nothing more I could’ve done.

"Hopefully this is the start of Team England’s medals."

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The Commonwealth Games is entering a new era with TNT Sports and HBO Max set to deliver a never-before-seen viewing experience, with every event from Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games exclusively live across all HBO Max plans in the UK and Ireland.