Ten must-see New Zealand events at the Commonweath Games
Wednesday, 22 July 2026
The 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games will be running a reduced programme, but there’s still plenty of must-see events featuring our Kiwi athletes.
Thirteen of NZ’s 50 medals in Birmingham 2022 came from sports that aren’t being contested in Glasgow - squash, mountain biking, road cycling, triathlon, sevens, wrestling and cricket.
But there are still plenty of chances for the New Zealand flag to fly, with 116 Kiwis competing.
Here are 10 of the best events to catch this Games to watch our athletes in black.
Sam Tanner in the men’s mile
The mile returns to the Commonwealth Games after a 60 year hiatus - an event that New Zealand has a rich history in. Names like Jack Lovelock, Peter Snell and John Walker are etched into the record books, the two former winning Commonwealth Games gold in 1934 and 1962 respectively.
Sam Tanner will be representing the New Zealand men in the mile this Games, having finished sixth in the Birmingham Games over the 1500m.
Women’s pole vault
New Zealand will have three women competing in the pole vault this year, with Imogen Ayris, Eliza McCartney and Olivia McTaggart lining up. Ayris won bronze in Birmingham 2022, and has since improved her personal best to 4.81m, just under two months ago.
McCartney is a bronze medallist from the 2016 Rio Olympics, with a silver in the 2018 Commonwealth Games, before injuries plagued her career. She’s in fine form now however, with two recent silver medals and clearing 4.80m. McTaggart rounds out the Kiwi trio, her personal best at 4.73m.
Ellesse Andrews on the cycling track
One of New Zealand’s strongest Games athletes, Ellesse Andrews has four Olympic medals and four Commonwealth Games medals. Andrews, 26, will be competing in four events: the sprint, time trial, keirin and team sprint.
At the Paris Olympics, Andrews won gold in both the sprint and keirin - the first woman to win both events at one Games. In Birmingham, she won three golds and one silver - can repeat the accomplishment in Glasgow?
The Silver Ferns
The Silver Ferns have not won netball gold at a Commonwealth Games since the double overtime thriller in 2010. A silver in 2014 was followed by a disappointing fourth in 2018, and a bronze in 2022. Their biggest challenge in pool play will be Jamaica - last Games’ silver medallists.
This Games will mark their first matches under Dame Noeline Taurua after her suspension last September. The Ferns have not played a single game this year, and their last series came in the midst of intense outside scrutiny with how Netball New Zealand handled Taurua’s suspension.
Hamish Kerr in the high jump
The reigning Commonwealth Games and Olympic champion, Hamish Kerr returns in Glasgow - hopefully. Kerr had been missing from competitions for a few months, and recently explained why.
On his Instagram, Kerr said he chose to take a break from training but was “excited and hopeful that I’ll be back competing again soon”. With just over a week until the men’s high jump starts, Kiwi fans will be desperately crossing their fingers to see the high-flying athlete line up for another pinnacle event.
Lewis Clareburt in the pool
Four-time Commonwealth Games medallist Lewis Clareburt has a busy Glasgow schedule, lining up in the 200m and 400m individual medleys, with permission to start in three other events. Clareburt holds the Commonwealth Games record for the 400m individual medley, set in 2022.
Clareburt is the top-ranked swimmer from a Commonwealth nation in the 400m individual medley so will be the favourite to take out that race, and with a gold in the 200m butterfly in Birmingham, and a New Zealand record in the 200m freestyle in April, the 27-year-old is in fine form.
Anna Grimaldi in the T47 100m
Para athlete Anna Grimaldi will be attending her first Commonwealth Games this year, with her classification included for the first time. The 29-year-old has three Paralympic gold medals and one silver - winning gold in the T47 long jump in 2016 and 2020, and gold in the T47 200m in Paris.
Her silver medal came from the T47 100m in Paris, where she set an Oceania record, and this will be the event she competes in for the Glasgow Games. Grimaldi will have a good warm up for Glasgow, competing in the iconic Diamond League just weeks before the Games.
Lawn bowls
For the first time, the Commonwealth Games lawn bowls will be contested indoor, with 12 Kiwis participating between bowls and para bowls. Shannon Mcilroy will be attending his fifth consecutive Commonwealth Games.
In Birmingham, three bronze medals were won - in the women’s pairs, triples and fours. Tayla Bruce, Katelyn Inch and Selina Goddard all return, with Bruce seeing much success in the past four years. She won gold at the World Outdoor Bowls Championship in 2023, was ranked second in the world in 2024, and more recently finished with a bronze medal at the Indoor Championship in 2025.
Zoe Hobbs in the 100m
The first woman from Oceania to run 100m in under 11 seconds, Zoe Hobbs will be searching for her first Commonwealth Games medal when she lines up in Glasgow. Hobbs finished sixth in Birmingham, but was subsequently upgraded to fifth, due to an opponent’s doping offence.
The 28-year-old recorded her personal best over the distance in September, also setting an Oceania record of 10.94 seconds. She also won the Oceania Championships in May, with a time of 11.00.
Erika Fairweather in the pool
One of the busiest New Zealand athletes will be Erika Fairweather, who’s entered in six different events. At just 22, Fairweather may be the backbone of the women’s swimming team, competing in four different individual freestyle lengths and two relays.
In May, Fairweather broke her own NZ 200m freestyle record, and she still holds the national record over 400m, from when she won gold at the World Aquatics Championships in 2024. After her preparation for Birmingham was affected due to contracting Covid, the young swimming star has more to prove this year.