Madeleine McCann’s younger brother Sean was cheered on by his parents and twin sister Amelie on his Commonwealth debut at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre on Saturday.
McCann finished fourth in the third of four 400 metres freestyle heats in the morning session before returning to the pool in the evening to finish eighth in the final.
McCann was just two years old when Madeleine disappeared shortly before her fourth birthday during a holiday in Praia da Luz, Portugal in 2007. Despite extensive searches, she has never been found.
After making the final, McCann said: “I’m delighted. It wasn’t really an expectation coming into the Championships, especially with how strong the field was, so to have made it is fantastic.
“I wouldn’t say I felt pressure, but I was definitely nervous. There were so many people watching and I wanted to perform well, not just for myself but for Team Scotland as well. I’m glad I was able to produce a decent performance.”
Parents Gerry, clad in a blue Team Scotland top, and Kate, who wore a tee-shirt bearing the Games’ anthem ‘Yes Sir, I can Boogie’, are regular spectators at their son’s swimming events.
The 21-year-old, who studies chemical engineering at Loughborough University, previously represented Scotland at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Tobago in 2023, where he finished fifth in the 400m freestyle event.
He started swimming at an early age and was selected to swim at the City of Leicester club, with which he won multiple county titles and became national champion in his age group.
Although he grew up in England, he qualifies to represent Scotland through his father, Gerry, who was born in Glasgow. His sister Amelie is a promising Scottish triathlete.
McCann, whose final time of three minutes 53.47 seconds was just over half a second slower than his heat, says he hopes to use his experience at the Commonwealth Games to target a place in the Great Britain team for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.
“The Olympics is always the ultimate goal,” he added. “Being able to represent Scotland here is a really important stepping stone towards that. Hopefully, with a couple more years of hard work, I can put my name in the mix.”
Before that, McCann will have further opportunities in the Tollcross pool, as he is expected to also compete in the men’s 800m and 1500m freestyle events later in the Games.
