Alumni selected for Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games

Six Cardiff University alumni are set to compete at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, with athletes representing Team Wales and Team Scotland across athletics, cycling and netball.

The Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games get underway this Thursday, bringing together more than 3,000 athletes from 74 nations and territories to compete across 10 sports. The six alumni reflect Cardiff University's long-standing commitment to supporting talented student-athletes to excel in both their studies and elite sport.

The Cardiff University alumni competing at Glasgow 2026 are:

• Jake Heyward (BSc Accounting and Finance, 2021) – Athletics, Team Wales
• Lewis Oliva (MBBCh Medicine, 2021) – Cycling, Team Wales
• Maddy Silcock (BSc Physiotherapy, 2021) – Cycling, Team Scotland
• Nansi Kuti (BSc Neuroscience, 2023) – Netball, Team Wales
• Vicky Booth (BSc Physiotherapy, 2023) – Netball, Team Wales
• Caris Morgan (MSc Pre-Registration Physiotherapy, 2025) – Netball, Team Wales

Throughout their time at Cardiff University, each athlete balanced academic study with elite sporting performance while benefiting from the support of the University's High Performance Programme. They also represented Cardiff in BUCS competition, contributing to the University's sporting success.

Each athlete has taken a unique journey to Glasgow 2026, with stories of resilience, progression and success. Jake Heyward returns to major championship competition following an extraordinary comeback from double Achilles surgery, while Lewis Oliva returns for his fourth Commonwealth Games after stepping away from elite cycling to pursue a career in medicine. Maddy Silcock also returns to the Commonwealth stage, having represented Team Scotland in athletics at the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games before successfully transitioning to cycling for her senior Commonwealth Games debut.

Team Wales' netball squad features three Cardiff University alumni. Nansi Kuti, Vicky Booth and Caris Morgan all represented Cardiff University Netball Club during their studies and helped the club remain unbeaten in Varsity fixtures throughout their time at Cardiff University. Vicky also coached the Cardiff University Netball Development Centre and will return as Head Coach of Cardiff University Netball Club for the 2026–27 season following the Games.

Cardiff University's presence at Glasgow 2026 extends beyond the athletes competing. Alumna Natalie Powell (BSc Biomedical Science, 2015) returns to the Commonwealth Games as Performance Coach for Team Wales' judo squad, 12 years after winning Commonwealth gold in Glasgow. During her time at Cardiff University, Natalie was part of the High Performance Programme, won BUCS judo titles in 2011 and 2013, and claimed gold while representing the University at the 2013 European Universities Judo Championships. She went on to become Wales' first Commonwealth judo champion in 2014, compete at the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, and reach world number one before transitioning into coaching.

The Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games promise to showcase some of the very best sporting talent from across the Commonwealth, and Cardiff University is proud to see our alumni competing and coaching in Glasgow. Everyone at Cardiff University congratulates Jake, Lewis, Maddy, Nansi, Vicky, Caris and Natalie and wishes them every success at the Games.