{"id":254904,"date":"2026-07-27T16:23:37","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T16:23:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/27\/english-part-time-sprinter-bursts-with-national-pride-and-slams-games-no-shows\/"},"modified":"2026-07-27T16:23:37","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T16:23:37","slug":"english-part-time-sprinter-bursts-with-national-pride-and-slams-games-no-shows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/27\/english-part-time-sprinter-bursts-with-national-pride-and-slams-games-no-shows\/","title":{"rendered":"English part-time sprinter bursts with \u2018national pride\u2019 and slams Games no-shows"},"content":{"rendered":"

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It took Elliot Jones, an unheralded English 100m sprinter making his international debut at the grand age of 28, to cut through the noise. Asked about all the no-shows at these Commonwealth Games<\/a>, he began to shake his head, almost in disbelief.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe national pride I have is so, so high,\u201d he said. \u201cI personally don\u2019t understand why athletes wouldn\u2019t want to come and represent their country, regardless of timetables. I\u2019m going to take every international call I can get.\u201d<\/p>\n

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For those not counting, nine Team England athletes have withdrawn during the past week, including the former world champions Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Dina Asher-Smith. Most have not given a reason why. The poster girl of these Games, Scotland\u2019s Eilish McColgan, also withdrew on Saturday afer failing to recover from injury in time.<\/p>\n

Yet those absentees have created a potential real-life golden ticket for others. And no one grabbed it harder on Monday than Jones, a part-time athlete whose day job is working for Uefa on matchday operations in the Champions League and Europa League.<\/p>\n

On Thursday night, he was phoned by the England team\u2019s sprints manager to ask whether he fancied running in the 100m after Louis Hinchliffe pulled out. \u201cLet me think about that,\u201d he replied, before shouting: \u201cYes!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI had to get the Glasgow bus at 9 the next morning, quickly pack and restructure my training plan but it\u2019s fine, we\u2019re always ready,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was supposed to take us six hours but it took us seven with the traffic.\u201d<\/p>\n

And having got here, Jones was in no mood to mess about in his first major championship as he ran 10.07sec to qualify third overall for the semi-finals on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

It was heartening to hear \u2013 especially given that several Olympic and world champions are missing, including Keely Hodgkinson, Letsile Tebogo and Julien Alfred, the women\u2019s 100m champion in Paris whose poster is outside the Scotstounhill train station.<\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span>A poster at Scotstounhill railway station showing Julien Alfred, one of the high-profile absentees.<\/span> Photograph: Tom Jenkins\/The Guardian<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A similar message was delivered by Wales\u2019 Jeremiah Azu, the world indoor 60m champion last year, after he had scooted through his 100m heat in 10.10. Asked why he had decided to go to Glasgow, he pointed to the word Cymru on his vest. \u201cBecause of this,\u201d he said. \u201cTo put this vest on is such a privilege and an honour, and I would never put that opportunity to the side. I would never disrespect the flag like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the absence of the 100m world champion Oblique Seville, a strong men\u2019s field still includes the likes of Nigeria\u2019s Kanyinsola Ajayi, who ran 9.84 to win the London Diamond League ahead of Seville just over a week ago.<\/p>\n

Yet on the women\u2019s side the story is very different. Startlingly, six of the top 10 100m times in 2026 have also been run by Commonwealth athletes \u2013 none of whom are actually running the event in Glasgow. However, England\u2019s Imani-Lara Lansiquot, who has two 4x100m Olympic medals to her name, said she was delighted to be at the \u201cFriendly Games\u201d.<\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span>Competitors start in a heat of the men\u2019s 100m at the Scotstoun Stadium.<\/span> Photograph: Tom Jenkins\/The Guardian<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI think this competition is a great springboard for athletes,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd it\u2019s a great springboard for us as a country, in a time where it feels very divided. You walk around our hotel, the energy is buzzing. Everyone has that sense of togetherness, and that\u2019s what I love about this competition.\u201d<\/p>\n

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