The 2026 Commonwealth Games took place in Glasgow across the 23rd July - 2nd August. Across 10 days of action packed world-class sport, the Games brought together more than 74,000 athletes from 74 nations/territories as Glasgow hosted the 23rd Commonwealth Games, having previously welcomed athletes back in 2014.
Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games
TEAM WALES
With a proud history at the Commonwealth Games, and a strong blend of experience and emerging talent, the Team Wales weightlifting squad were ready to head to Glasgow 2026 to compete, gain experience, and inspire. The team aimed to build on Wales' proud Commonwealth Games legacy, as well as showcasing the strength of Welsh weightlifting on one of sport's biggest stages.
Over five days of weightlifting competition at the SEC Armadillo (across Sunday 26 July to Thursday 30 July) six of our athletes proudly represented Team Wales at Glasgow 2026, against some of the strongest weightlifters from across the Commonwealth.
The Games represented the culmination of years of commitment from athletes during their weightlifting journeys, through the support of their family, coaches, and clubs. Every athlete selected earned their place through consistent performances during the qualification period, arriving in Glasgow ready to compete amongst the very best in Commonwealth weightlifting.
The Welsh squad combined experience with Laura Hughes and Catrin Haf Jones who have competed at Commonwealth Games before, with exciting debutants ready to make their mark at a Games. This highlighted the continued strength of the Welsh performance pathway. Each member of the team were keen to embrace the opportunity to represent the Welsh badge with pride and professionalism.
Pre Games Training Camp
The Team Wales Weightlifting team undergone a week-long holding camp (11-17 July) at the excellent SBD training facility in Sheffield as athletes complete their final preparations ahead of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
As part of the camp Weightlifting Wales was delighted to welcome Gethin Jones, Team Wales Chief de Mission, who presented the athletes with their bespoke Welsh competition singlets. Designed and manufactured by SBD here in the UK, the custom-made singlets were worn by the team on the Commonwealth Games platform.
Weightlifting Wales would like to extend its sincere thanks to SBD for its generous support in designing and manufacturing the team's competition singlets, as well as providing the use of its outstanding training facility for the holding camp in readiness for the Commonwealth Games. The week-long camp provided athletes and coaches with an excellent environment to train, prepare and come together as a team before travelling to Glasgow.
Having been selected as part of the squad, Madaline Connelly had to unfortunately withdraw from the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games due to a recent injury she sustained during the pre Commonwealth Games training camp at SBD.
She provided the following statement:
Team Results
First up to the competition platform for Wales was Nikole Roberts in the women's 48kg, who competed on the first day of weightlifting action at the Games on the afternoon of 26th July. And it all concluded with James Wales on the final day on 30th July. Our Welsh team had the following results:
Nikole Roberts - Women's 48kg
Snatch: 70kg
Clean and Jerk: 84kg
Total: 154kg
RANK (6TH)
Nikole Roberts opens Team Wales Weightlifting Glasgow 2026 campaign with sixth-place finish
Catrin Haf Jones - Women's 58kg
Snatch: 82kg
Clean and Jerk: 106kg
Total: 188kg
RANK (6TH)
Catrin Haf Jones delivers her best ever Commonwealth Games performance
Charlotte Whalley - Women's 63kg
Snatch: 82kg
Clean and Jerk: 104kg
Total: 186kg
RANK (8TH)
Charlotte Whalley and Chloe Hood proudly represent Wales on Commonwealth Games stage
Chloe Hood - Women's 69kg
Snatch: 85kg
Clean and Jerk: 105kg
Total: 190kg
RANK (9TH)
Charlotte Whalley and Chloe Hood proudly represent Wales on Commonwealth Games stage
Laura Hughes - Women's 77kg
Snatch: 95kg
Clean and Jerk: 129kg
Total: 224kg
RANK (3RD) - Bronze Medal
James Wales - Men's 110kg+
Snatch: 145kg
Clean and Jerk: 191kg
Total: 336kg
RANK (4TH)
James Wales impresses with fourth-place finish on Commonwealth Games Debut
The standout moment of the Games came from Laura Hughes, who secured a magnificent bronze medal in the Women's 77kg competition.
Producing one of the performances of her career, Laura demonstrated exceptional composure throughout the competition before successfully completing a decisive 129kg clean and jerk to secure her place on the podium and become a two time Commonwealth Games Bronze medalist.
There were also strong performances across the rest of the team.
Nikole Roberts opened the Team Wales weightlifting campaign at Glasgow by delivering a determined performance to finish sixth in the Women's 48kg category. Her appearance alone represented the brilliant progress she had made throughout her rehabilitation process in the lead up to the Games following an injury picked up during the qualification period.
Catrin Haf Jones produced her strongest ever Commonwealth Games performance, building on the experience gained from previous Games appearances and continuing her development on the international stage.
Charlotte Whalley and Chloe Hood also represented Wales with immense resilience on their Commonwealth Games debuts, competing confidently against a high-quality field of lifters. Notably, a 104kg clean and jerk was a personal best for Charlotte, which is an impressive achievement on the Commonwealth Games stage.
James Wales concluded the Team Wales weightlifting campaign with a tremedous peformance by finishing in 4th, as well as claiming a clean and jerk personal best
The experiences of performing within a packed live crowd as well as within a major multi-sport event provides invaluable learnings for all that will continue to benefit them long beyond these Games.
The performances of all our athletes at the Glasgow 2026 Games have also inspired the next generation of talent and newcomers to the sport. Seeing Welsh athletes compete on the Commonwealth stage demonstrates what can be achieved through dedication, hard work and persistence.
Welsh Officials on the Commonwealth Stage
The Glasgow 2026 Games were also a proud moment for Welsh technical officials.
Russell Willey was selected as an International Technical Official for the Para Powerlifting competition, while Stephen Donovan represented Wales as an International Technical Official within the weightlifting. Their selections recognised years of dedication, technical expertise and commitment to officiating at the highest level, and we were delighted to see them be a part of the Games.
A Collective Achievement
The performances, experiences and achievements from the Commonwealth Games provide a strong platform for the future of Welsh weightlifting. With emerging athletes continuing to progress through the pathway, experienced internationals leading by example and an outstanding network of coaches, officials, volunteers and clubs supporting the sport, the future remains incredibly bright.
Weightlifting Wales would like to thank everyone who contributed to the team's Glasgow 2026 journey.
To our athletes, thank you for representing Wales with passion, professionalism and pride.
To our coaches, lead by former Games athletes in Gareth Evans and Christie Williams, as well as Team Manager, Christian Pszyk, thank you for the countless hours of preparation that played an integral role for our athletes to perform at Glasgow.
We also recognise and are grateful to the coaches, clubs, volunteers and families who have supported all our athletes along their journeys.
A thank you to The National Lottery
Weightlifting Wales is a proud recipient of National Lottery funding. The National Lottery has been a game changer for Welsh sport for over 30 years. The National Lottery directly funds our elite Welsh athletes, supports the grassroots clubs through which they emerge, and invests into creating opportunities for our athletes to reach such achievements than competing at the Commonwealth Games.
The support of National Lottery players and Welsh Government continues to make a lasting difference to athletes from grassroots participation through to international representation.
Find out how your National Lottery numbers make amazing things happen by visiting www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk
