Madeleine McCann’s younger brother Sean thanked the "home crowd" after making his Commonwealth Games debut at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre. With parents Kate and Gerry watching alongside his twin sister Amelie, Sean finished fourth in the third of four 400m freestyle heats in the morning session on Saturday, with his time enough to get him into the final.
He returned last night as the sole Scot in the final to claim eighth spot. Gerry, clad in a blue Team Scotland top, and Kate, who wore a T-shirt bearing the unofficial Scotland anthem ‘Yes Sir, I can Boogie’, are regular spectators at their son’s swimming events.
Sean’s gratitude to fans and team
Speaking from poolside, Sean, 21, thanked the fans for the reception he received and his coaches and fellow athletes for their support. He said: "It was really cool. The crowd this morning was one thing but the crowd tonight was just another level. Being able to walk out as the only Scot in the final in front of a home crowd and get that sort of a reception was just incredible.
"I am just grateful for all the fans that were watching. I knew it was going to be a tough race with the calibre that there was so just to be among them was pretty cool. It was really special and I am just really grateful to be on the team and have so much support from all the staff and fellow athletes."
Background and future ambitions
Next up he is expected to also compete in the men’s 800m and 1500m freestyle events later in the Games. Sean was just two years old when his big sister 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 and is presumed dead.
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. Sean studies chemical engineering at Loughborough University and previously represented Scotland at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Tobago in 2023, where he finished fifth in the 400m freestyle event.
He hopes now to use his experience at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow 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.”
