Scottish gymnast Lottie Smith is set to make her home Commonwealth Games debut at Glasgow 2026 after overcoming a series of mental blocks. The 25-year-old from Stamford, whose grandparents hail from the Shetland Islands, has been named to Team Scotland's gymnastics squad.
Smith continues to struggle with a backwards acrobatics series on the balance beam, her favoured apparatus, despite winning bronze at the 2025 British Championships. She hopes speaking out about her challenges will show that mental barriers are common among elite athletes.
“I have mental blocks on beam, so I've struggled a lot in the years and trying to overcome that,” Smith said. “It meant that British Champs was a really emotional moment as it felt like everything had been worth it.” She has consulted psychologists and emphasised the importance of trusting the process and being less hard on herself.
Smith works as a gymnastics teacher and coach, and she finds that sharing her struggles helps her students. “Some of them struggle going backwards on beam as well, and it is quite reassuring that it's not just me,” she said. She cited Simone Biles' experience with the 'twisties' at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics as an inspiring example of normalising such challenges.
As the eldest member of a young Scotland team, Smith sees herself as the “big sister and mum” of the group. She hopes the team will support each other and make lasting memories on home soil. “You are not just one performance,” she said. “Whatever happens on the day, I want us to just be there for each other.”
