Scottish para-athlete Melanie Woods has revealed she had to “stay composed” and keep her “emotions at bay” after her first gold medal at the Commonwealth Games was overturned. The wheelchair racer was named outstanding athlete of Glasgow 2026 after claiming two gold medals on home soil.
Gold Medal Overturned
Woods initially won the 1500m in a Commonwealth Games record time of 3:33.39. However, a collision on the opening lap brought down several athletes, and subsequent appeals voided the result, forcing the entire race to be rerun.
Despite losing a gold she believed she had secured, Woods accepted the decision and remained respectful towards competitors, officials, and the appeals process.
Triumphant Return
Less than 40 hours later, she returned to the track and won again. Woods took the lead after 100 metres, was never headed, and finished in 3:32.20, lowering the Games record she had set in the original race.
She told the Press Association: “There was a bit of a drama with my event, and when I went out there on Wednesday night to run the 1500m final, there was unfortunately a crash, which took out a number of the field, so we had to rerun the race.”
“After crossing the line and winning that medal, I got told later on that night that we were going to have to redo it. So I was kind of going to bed that night not knowing when the rerun was going to happen, but also having to stay composed and kind of keep my emotions at bay, so that I could have the energy to go out there and do it again.”
Second Gold and Award
After claiming gold in the 1500m, Woods returned for the 400m heats 90 minutes later and qualified fastest for the final. She then won the title the following evening to claim her second gold of the Games.
“That’s like best-case scenario, really,” she said. “I dreamt of it and I hoped that that would happen, but that actually being a reality is a very different story. I’m so pleased and excited.”
Woods also received the David Dixon award, given to an “outstanding athlete” at each Commonwealth Games. The award recognises the athlete judged by their peers to have best combined sporting performance, fair play, and contribution to their team.
Speaking about the award, Woods said it was an “honour”. “When I was told that I was getting it, they said that no Scottish athlete had ever had it. So it felt like a pretty cool honour to go up there and get that trophy,” she said.
Closing Ceremony
The 2026 Commonwealth Games ended with music, dancing, and a fireworks display over the River Clyde. Thousands packed into the Glasgow Hydro for the closing ceremony, which concluded 11 days of sporting action and marked the handover to Amdavad, India, host of the 2030 Games.
Commonwealth Games chief executive officer Phil Batty said Scotland has “secured the future of the Commonwealth sport movement”. He added: “The sport was electric, I enjoyed the atmosphere in the city, the cultural festival, everything that brought Glasgow to life. But probably for me, [the highlight] was the volunteer that came up to me on day five, gave me a hug, and that got me through the rest of the competition.”
