Glasgow Commonwealth Games: Langton injury overshadows gymnastics silver, Scott secures swimming gold
Gymnastics team secures silver amidst injury concern
The England men’s gymnastics team secured a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, though their achievement was overshadowed by a serious injury to team member Gabriel Langton. The incident occurred during the final rotation of the men’s team gymnastics final at The Arena.
Langton, from the City of Birmingham Gymnastics Club, suffered a fall from the horizontal bar, approximately three metres high, missing his catch and landing head first. The accident led to a significant delay in the competition as medical staff attended to him on the mat. He was eventually moved onto a stretcher with head and neck bracing and transported away on a trolley, receiving a large round of applause from the crowd.
Despite the gravity of the fall, Langton was observed to be conscious and moving his limbs before leaving the arena. Team officials later confirmed that he was speaking to doctors and moving. Team England released a statement expressing gratitude to the medical teams for their immediate response and confirmed Langton had been taken to hospital, promising further updates.
The injury meant Langton, a late addition to Team England following an injury to six-time Olympic medallist Max Whitlock, was unable to join his teammates on the podium to receive their silver medals. His teammate, Luke Whitehouse, who was the first to compete after the restart, scored 11.700 on the apparatus. Whitehouse commented on the difficulty of refocusing after such an event, stating that gymnasts must “forget about it and reset” and concentrate on their routine.
Whitehouse also mentioned that, from what he had heard, Langton was “doing OK,” and highlighted the inherent dangers of gymnastics. Felix Dolci, who contributed to Canada‘s gold medal win, described the incident as “terrible” and a reminder of the sport’s demanding and sometimes perilous nature. He extended his thoughts to Langton and the England team, commending their focus under challenging circumstances.
Hamish Carter of Team Scotland, whose team narrowly missed out on a bronze medal to Australia, stated he did not witness the fall but was relieved to hear Langton was alright, acknowledging the potential severity of such an accident. Canada‘s gold medal marked their first in the event in 20 years, having previously finished second to England in the last two Games.
Scott claims swimming gold for Scotland
In another significant event at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Duncan Scott secured a gold medal for Scotland in the 200m individual medley. Scott, who trains alongside England‘s Tom Dean in Stirling, competed against him in the final at Tollcross.
Scott finished ahead of Dean, who took the bronze medal. Scott’s winning time of 1:56.38 was described as rapid, being nearly half a second faster than his own Games record set in Birmingham four years prior, where he also denied Dean a gold medal. Scott expressed his satisfaction with the performance, describing it as “well executed” and primarily a “relief.”
Despite appearing composed before the race, Scott admitted to feeling a degree of expectation, particularly as it was the first day of competition and he aimed to provide positive momentum for Team Scotland and the home crowd. Dean, who moved to Stirling the previous year and has faced injury challenges, acknowledged Scott’s strong start to the race, stating he knows Scott’s capabilities from their daily training.
Scott’s performance saw him take an early lead with his backstroke, extending it further with his breaststroke, ensuring his fourth Games gold. Dean, who recovered from seventh position at the halfway mark, and New Zealand‘s Lewis Clareburt, who also competed strongly, were unable to catch Scott. This victory marks Scott’s 14th Commonwealth medal, achieved in his fourth Games, and occurred almost 12 years after he won his first medal in the same venue.
Scott will have the weekend off from competition, having contributed significantly to a strong start for Glasgow 2026.
Source: bbc.co.uk
As News GB's Senior Football Correspondent, Lewis Hartnell reports on the Premier League, the EFL and the England national side for readers across the country. He reported on south-coast football for a regional title. He holds a degree in Sports Journalism from Solent University and completed an NCTJ diploma. Lewis lives in Southampton, where he watches youth football and follows the transfer market. “The week's training ground decides the weekend's headlines.”
