Sunny Doig believes making her Commonwealth Games debut on home soil will make the experience even more special. The 21-year-old judoka, selected for Team Scotland's Glasgow 2026 squad, is looking forward to competing in front of family, friends and supporters as she targets a medal in the -63kg category.
A Home Debut to Remember
Judoka Sunny Doig believes her Commonwealth Games debut will be even more memorable because of its close proximity to home. The 21-year-old is among a 13-strong judo squad selected to represent Team Scotland at the upcoming Games in Glasgow. She grew up in Bonnyrigg, eight miles southeast of Edinburgh, and is excited to compete in front of family and friends.
“I would be really excited for just the Commonwealth Games anyway but it's even more special because it's in Scotland, so it could be an even better experience,” said Doig, who competes in the -63kg category. “My parents are coming, my boyfriend's coming, and I think a lot of my club are coming as well.”
Inspired by a Scottish Legend
Doig went to the same secondary school as Graeme Randall, the former World Champion Scottish judoka who competed in both the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics. She credits Randall as one of her main inspirations, but her introduction to the sport was a family affair.
“Some of my uncles did judo, and me and my older brother started when we were about four,” Doig said. “Then my younger brother joined later. It's always scary to join something new, but the people in judo are really good people from all levels.
“I think it teaches you lots of good core values, and it has really built my confidence. I've always been quite shy, but through judo I've been able to grow into myself a bit more. It’s a really good sport to get into - give it a try if you’re interested.”
Training Camp in Japan
Judo has opened several doors for the young Scot, including the chance to go to Japan for a pre-Commonwealth Games two-week training camp. It will be Doig’s first time in the country and she is hoping there will be time for sightseeing among the hard work.
“It’s really cool,” she said. “We’ve only got one session a day so hopefully there will be lots of time.”
As well as sightseeing, Doig winds down from the high-energy, high-impact nature of judo by spending time with her dog, Oscar. She balances her judo career with a Sport and Exercise Science degree at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh.
Aiming for Gold
The half-middleweight won her first senior medal at the Montreal Pan American Open in 2025 and has set her sights high for Glasgow 2026.
“The Commonwealth Games is going to be a really exciting environment with the crowd,” said Doig. “We're all hoping to win medals but I think there's going to be some really good judo and some really big throws. My big goal this year was to get selected, but now that I've made selection, I really want the medal. It is definitely possible, and I'm going to train really hard to try and get there.”
Follow Team Scotland's journey at Glasgow 2026 at @team_scotland on Instagram.
