Team England are a powerhouse in the world of weightlifting and para powerlifting, and that looks set to continue at Glasgow 2026.
Both events are enthralling spectator sports, featuring nail-biting moments and beyond-belief lifts.
Where is it taking place?
The weightlifting and para powerlifting will take place at the SEC Armadillo, part of the wider Scottish Event Campus.
At Glasgow 2014, the Armadillo auditorium also played host to the lifting action, making it a familiar venue for those athletes returning to Glasgow twelve years on.
A stage will be set up, featuring a durable weightlifting platform, which the competitors will step onto one by one.
Judges will keep a watchful eye on each lift from a nearby desk, with the audience cheering athletes on from afar.
Dates at Glasgow 2026
Para powerlifting kicks things off at the Armadillo, with a jam-packed day of lifting on 24 July.
At 1pm, the men’s lightweight competition gets underway, followed by the same women’s category.
After a short break, the evening action begins with a Friday night heavyweight showdown.
This time, the women’s event leads the way, beginning at 6pm before the men’s heavyweight contest rounds out the para powerlifting.
Two days later, weightlifting begins, spanning five days until the last lift on 30 July.
The weight categories gradually increase as the competition progresses, beginning with the women’s 48kg and men’s 60kg finals on 26 July, all the way up to the women’s +86kg and men’s +110kg finals on the final day.
Team England’s history
Team England are third only to Australia and India in the all-time Commonwealth weightlifting table, earning 121 medals since the sport was introduced in 1950.
At Birmingham 2022, all team members finished inside the top six and three gold medals were won.
Team England’s success in the event began many decades ago, with Precious McKenzie one of the trailblazers for the sport.
Between 1966 and 1974, McKenzie won three successive weightlifting golds for Team England, before going on to earn another for New Zealand in 1978.
Para powerlifting first featured in the Commonwealth Games as a men’s event in 2002, before the women’s side was added in 2010.
Team England have already won nine medals in the sport, including Zoe Newson’s gold at Birmingham 2022.
What are the rules of weightlifting?
The bigger the lift, the better the score.
In weightlifting, there are two disciplines: the snatch and the clean and jerk.
Each athlete performs three lifts in each discipline, with weights increasing each time.
The lifter must tactically select what weight to attempt each round, and the winner is determined by the combined total weight of each lifter’s best snatch and best clean and jerk.
To complete a technically sound snatch, an athlete must pick up the barbell with a wide grip and raise it overhead in one motion.
For a viable clean and jerk, they bring the bar to their chest, pause, then drive it overhead and lock their elbows, holding the bar still until the buzzer sounds.
In para powerlifting, athletes solely compete in the bench press discipline.
Whoever lifts the heaviest successful weight wins, with each lifter getting three attempts.
Each attempt consists of the athlete lowering the bar to their chest and holding it steady before pressing it upwards until their arms fully extend.
If the referees show two or more white lights, the lift is good, whereas two or more red lights indicate no lift.
Who is competing for Team England?
Three reigning Commonwealth champions headline a stacked Team England weightlifting squad.
The 15-strong team features Emily Campbell, Chris Murray, and Sarah Davies Smale, who won Birmingham 2022 gold in the +87kg, 81kg, and 71kg categories, respectively.
Andrew Griffiths, Noorin Gulam, and Cyrille Tchatchet II also lifted at Birmingham 2022, while Madias Ngake – who won bronze for Cameroon at the London 2012 Olympics – will make her Team England debut.
Also putting on the red and white kit for the very first time at the Commonwealth Games are Erin Barton, Isabella Brown, Eliza Pratt and Tammy Wong.
On the men’s side, Jonathan Chin, Christopher Russ, Kieran Stiles, and Josh Hutton are all Games debutants.
Team England’s para powerlifting squad also blends experience and youth.
The four returning athletes include 2022 silver medallists Mark Swan and Olivia Broome, alongside Matthew Harding and Louise Sugden.
Lottie McGuinness will make her debut in the women’s lightweight event, with Doaa Shayea doing the same in the women’s heavyweight competition.
Eleanor Nobbs | Sportsbeat 2026
