Home Nations Win Eight Medals on Day Two of Glasgow 2026 as Petersen-Pollard and Nairne Crowned Commonwealth Champions
August 01, 2026
An outstanding second day of action at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games saw our home nations secure eight medals, including two Commonwealth champions, one silver medallist and five bronze medallists.
Kelly Petersen-Pollard (England) was one of the standout performers of the day, becoming Commonwealth Games champion in the -70kg category for the first time, adding gold to the bronze medal she won at the Birmingham 2022 Games.
The English judoka faced a tough draw to begin her campaign, opening against England and WCPP teammate Jemima Yeats-Brown, where she produced a composed display to progress. She followed that with another assured performance against Charlie Thibault (CAN) in the semi-final, advancing after her opponent received a third shido for Hansoku-make.
In the final, Petersen-Pollard faced familiar rival Aoife Coughlan (AUS), whom she has met several times on the IJF World Tour but had never previously defeated. Under the lights and backed by a huge supporting crowd, she battled deep into golden score before securing the decisive victory to be crowned Commonwealth Games champion.
Reflecting on her Commonwealth Games title and the journey since Birmingham 2022, Petersen-Pollard said, “It feels amazing. It’s been a long four years since Birmingham, and it was quite a sad day; I made a big mistake, and it was like eating away at me a bit.
“To come here today and be able to perform and come away with the gold is really good.”
Ethan Nairne (England) enjoyed a dream Commonwealth Games debut, claiming the Glasgow 2026 title in the -73kg category and adding another remarkable chapter to the Nairne family’s Commonwealth Games story, following sister Lele’s bronze medal on Day 1.
Nairne was in impressive form throughout the day, defeating fellow home nations judoka Daniel Pacitti (Scotland) and Ben Moore (Wales) in the Round of 16 and quarter-final respectively. He then overcame Birmingham 2022 silver medallist Faye Njie (GAM) in the semi-final to set up an all-England final against teammate Ben Levy.
Featuring two of Great Britain’s brightest young talents, the final more than lived up to expectations. Nairne produced a superb throw to score yuko before defending his advantage for the remainder of the contest to become Commonwealth Games champion, in a performance that highlighted both his current ability and potential for the future.
Reflecting on his title-winning performance and the challenge of facing his teammate in the final, Nairne said, “There’s always pressure. We train together in the same environment, so that added a bit of pressure, along with the anticipation from the crowd. We’ve both been performing really well, so it was definitely a challenge, but I just tried to stay focused.
“It feels amazing. It’s been a long time coming. It’s something I’ve aimed for for a long time, and I knew I was going to achieve it.”
The silver medal in the -73kg category went to Ben Levy (England), who added a Commonwealth Games silver on his debut to an already impressive list of achievements early in his career.
Levy opened his campaign with convincing victories over Brave Chipokosa (MAW) and Xavion Johnson (BAH) in the Round of 16 and quarter-final to book his place in the semi-final. Standing between him and a guaranteed medal was Joshua Green (NIR), but Levy delivered another assured performance to set up an all-England final against Nairne. Although he narrowly missed out on gold, Levy produced an outstanding display throughout the day to secure a well-deserved Commonwealth Games silver medal.
Joshua Green (Northern Ireland) claimed bronze after an excellent day’s work, sealing his place on the podium in a home nations clash against Ben Moore (Wales), four years after narrowly missing out with a fifth-place finish at Birmingham 2022.
Green began his campaign with victory over Mattheo Lawson (TOG) in the Round of 16 before defeating Oliver Short (Scotland) in the quarter-final. A strong run took him into the semi-final against Ben Levy (England), where he was beaten on this occasion, dropping into the repechage. Refocusing superbly, Green came through the bronze medal contest to secure the first Commonwealth Games medal of his career.
Rachael Hawkes (Northern Ireland) claimed bronze in the -70kg category, bouncing back from a fifth-place finish at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
A difficult opening contest saw Hawkes face two-time Olympian and two-time Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Moira de Villiers (NZL), who sent the Northern Irish judoka into the repechage. Hawkes responded brilliantly, defeating fellow home nations judoka Holly Devall (Wales) to book her place in the final block.
An emphatic ippon against Charlie Thibault (CAN) secured Hawkes a place on the podium, with the emotion clear to see after claiming her first Commonwealth Games medal and Northern Ireland’s second medal of the day.
Jemima Yeats-Brown (England) claimed the third Commonwealth Games medal of her career, taking bronze in the -70kg category 12 years after winning her first medal in the same city.
Yeats-Brown opened her campaign with a convincing victory over Mary Njeri (KEN) in the Round of 16 before meeting England and WCPP teammate Kelly Petersen-Pollard in the quarter-final. Petersen-Pollard, who went on to win the title, came out on top on this occasion, sending Yeats-Brown into the repechage. With one final opportunity to reach the medal contests, she produced an assured performance against Inunganbi Takhellambam (IND) to book her place in the bronze medal match.
With the chance to secure her third Commonwealth Games medal, Yeats-Brown finished in style, throwing her opponent for a superb ippon to claim bronze and take her third Commonwealth medal.
Jamal Petgrave (England) secured bronze in the -90kg category, winning a second consecutive Commonwealth Games medal after claiming gold at Birmingham 2022.
Petgrave got his day off to the perfect start with victory in the Round of 16 before suffering a narrow quarter-final defeat to Danny Vojnikovich (AUS) in the quarter-final. Dropping into the repechage, he faced Vladimir Carlos Ngueya Naheu (CMR) in a closely contested bout. With Petgrave carrying two shidos, his opponent received a decisive third to send the English judoka through to the final block. A composed performance in the bronze medal contest ensured Petgrave returned to the Commonwealth Games podium with another well-earned medal.
Scott Cusack (Scotland) delighted the home crowd by claiming bronze in the -90kg category, securing his first Commonwealth Games medal and Scotland’s first medal of the day.
The Scot opened with a win in the Round of 16 before facing eventual silver medallist Noah Walliss (NZL) in the quarter-final, where he narrowly missed out and dropped into the repechage. Another hard-fought contest followed against Karanjit Singh Maan (IND), with Cusack progressing after his opponent received a third shido for hansoku-make. Roared on by a passionate Glasgow crowd in the bronze medal contest, the 30-year-old defeated Danny Vojnikovich (AUS) after his opponent also picked up a decisive third shido, sealing a memorable first Commonwealth Games medal on home soil.
There were strong performances from our other home nations judoka, with fifth-place finishes for Ben Moore (Wales) and Oliver Short (Scotland), while Holly Devall (Wales) recorded a seventh-place finish.
Another outstanding day of judo saw medals shared across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, with our home nations once again producing memorable performances on the Commonwealth Games stage.
Congratulations to every judoka on another fantastic day of competition, and we look forward to the final day of action as the Glasgow 2026 judo tournament reaches its conclusion tomorrow.
