Australian Olympic champion Mollie O'Callaghan has been cleared to compete at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, despite being diagnosed with spinal stress fractures last month. The 22-year-old swimmer was initially told to “stop swimming immediately” after scans revealed stress fractures and bone oedema on her lumbar spine.
O'Callaghan's health scare and recovery
O'Callaghan, the reigning Olympic 200m freestyle champion, shared her ordeal on Instagram, stating: “Last month I was told I wouldn’t be able to compete at trials, the Commonwealth Games or Pan Pacs. I was also told to stop swimming immediately.” She described the moment as reinforcing “just how much representing Australia means to me and how badly I want to be part of this team.”
Following further assessment after the swimming trials, O'Callaghan received clearance from a spinal specialist to race at the Commonwealth Games and the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in California in August. She is entered in three individual events in Glasgow – the 100m and 200m freestyle, and 50m backstroke – as well as several women's and mixed relays. However, she hinted that her schedule might change, saying: “Things might look a little different for me at the Commonwealth Games and Pan Pacs but I'll give everything I have and do my absolute best every time I race.”
Shayna Jack announces retirement
O'Callaghan's revelation came as fellow Australian swimmer Shayna Jack announced she will retire after the Commonwealth Games. In an emotional video, Jack recalled how her “life blew up for me in 2019” when she tested positive for the muscle growth agent Ligandrol in an out-of-competition test. Despite proclaiming her innocence and insisting the substance entered her system through contamination, she was banned for four years. “I want to go out there, head held high, proud of who I am, proud of who I am representing and proud of what I am saying goodbye to,” Jack said.
