This summer's big event in Glasgow is fast approaching and athletics will take centre stage.

Few sporting experiences match the atmosphere of a packed athletics stadium. The tension builds before the start of a race. The stadium quietens. The athletes prepare. Then the gun fires and the noise returns instantly as competitors sprint down the track. At the same time, field events unfold around the stadium. A personal best throw lands in the field. A jumper clears the bar to cheers from the crowd.

At the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games this July, the Scotstoun Stadium will light up with some of the biggest names in global athletics set to go head-to-head in the hope of making the Commonwealth podium. Among them both home nation and international stars, athletes who have performed at the very top of the sport that now have the chance to leave their mark on Glasgow. Backed by the roars of a home crowd, they’ll be chasing those medals and history-making moments.

History maker herself, Dina Asher-Smith, Britain’s fastest ever woman will return to Glasgow this summer after missing out on Birmingham 2022 due to injury. A global name in sprinting, she is determined to come back with a bang and knows exactly what the occasion demands. Asher-Smith told Glasgow 2026, ‘I think the Commonwealth Games is the most fun championships we have, so I’m really, really excited. With it being in Scotland, it still feels like home, so the support is going to be incredible.’

After almost a decade of searching for the ‘next Usain Bolt’, a group of speedy sprinting stars are breaking through and putting Jamaica back on the major event podium. Kishane Thompson’s breakthrough moment came at Paris 2024, but while he followed that up with World silver 12 months later, it was team-mate Oblique Seville who claimed the gold in Tokyo. Their battle for gold is destined to be a major highlight of the Glasgow 2026 athletics programme. Neeraj Chopra an Olympic, World, Commonwealth and Asia Games champion in javelin is one of India’s most decorated track and field stars of all-time.

At Tokyo 2020 he became only the second athlete in his nation’s history to win an individual Olympic gold and the first to achieve that honour in an Olympic debut. The 28-year-old will likely be a focal point of the Indian team as they head towards a home Commonwealth Games in 2030. And, of course, Scotland’s Golden Girl of distance running and official Glasgow 2026 Ambassador, Eilish McColgan has her sights set firmly on home turf, ready to defend her title. ‘With it (the Commonwealth Games) being in Glasgow and the opportunity to wear a Scotland vest, be in front of my family and friends, it's something I can't turn down.’

The Commonwealth Games was the first major multi-sport event to have a fully integrated sport programme, and it remains a trailblazer. Glasgow 2026 promises to be the most inclusive Games yet with thousands of fans set to experience the largest ever Para Sport medal programme in Games’ history. Ndodomzi Ntutu, the South African para athletics sprinting star may have hit the landmark age of 40, but insists he still has plenty of speed left in his legs. The visually impaired runner is looking to make history by claiming the 100m title for a third Commonwealth Games in a row, something he has called the “golden treble.”

Australian Wheelchair racing icon Madison de Rozario has been winning major medals for nearly two decades. Will she be seeking a landmark third successive 1500m Commonwealth crown at Glasgow 2026? Athletics and Para Athletics sits at the heart of the Commonwealth Games and has been part of the event since its earliest editions. The sport brings together athletes from across the world to compete in disciplines that test every aspect of physical performance.

On the track, sprinters explode from the blocks while middle- and longdistance runners battle through tactical races and dramatic final laps. In the field, power and technique take centre stage. Jumpers chase height and distance while throwers launch implements across the stadium in pursuit of victory. Each event offers its own challenge. Together they create a programme that celebrates the full range of athletic ability.

And in a sport where margins are measured in seconds and centimetres, every attempt matters. The action kicks off in Glasgow on 24 July, with a packed six days of athletic competition, every moment brings the possibility of history for spectators to be a part of. The countdown continues. Scotstoun is getting ready.

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