Paralympians and Para athletes fly high at Glasgow 2026
Paralympians and Para athletes excelled for New Zealand at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, claiming a record-breaking nine medals – three gold, three silver and three bronze – across ten days of competition.
The total eclipsed the previous best of four Para sport medals won by New Zealand at both the Gold Coast 2018 and Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. The nine medals secured at Glasgow 2026 also accounted for 25 per cent of the 36 medals won by the 112-strong New Zealand Team.
Leading the way were Paralympian #194 Emma Foy and pilot Jessie Hodges, who clinched double gold in the Women’s Tandem B Sprint and Women’s Tandem B 1000m Time Trial with a pair of outstanding performances.
Paralympian #229 Devon Briggs stormed to an emphatic gold medal in the Men’s 1000m Time Trial C1-3, setting a Games record of 1:05.536.
Full list of NZ Para sport medals at Glasgow 2026:
Gold
Paralympian #194 Emma Foy and Jessie Hodges – Women’s Tandem B Sprint
Paralympian #194 Emma Foy and Jessie Hodges – Women’s Tandem B 1000m Time Trial
Paralympian #229 Devon Briggs – Men’s 1000m Time Trial C1-3
Silver
Paralympian #238 Josh Willmer – Men’s 100m Breaststroke SB9
Julie O’Connell and Teri Blackbourn – Para Women’s Pairs B6-8
Kurt Smith and Mark Noble – Para Men’s Pairs B6-8
Bronze
Paralympian #195 Anna Grimaldi PLY MNZM – Women’s 100m T47
Paralympian #229 Devon Briggs – Men’s 3000m Individual Pursuit C1-3
Paralympian #222 Nicole Murray PLY -Women’s 4000m Individual Pursuit C4-5
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Grimaldi claims podium at London Diamond League
Paralympian #195 Anna Grimaldi PLY MNZM enjoyed an excellent performance competing at the London Diamond League, finishing third in the Women’s Mixed Classification Para Ambulant 100m. The reigning Paralympic 200m T47 champion clocked a handy time of 12.59 to secure a podium spot.
The Diamond League is the world’s premier one-day athletics series, featuring 15 elite meetings for able-bodied athletes across the globe. In recent years, however, several meets have embraced greater inclusivity by adding Para events to the programme.
Grimaldi made her Diamond League debut last year in the Mixed Classification 100m at the Eugene meet in Oregon.
Martlew secures fourth spot at World Cup
Paralympian #198 Scott Martlew PLY finished fourth in the Men’s 200m VL2 at the ICF Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe World Cup in Montreal, Canada (10-13 July).
Martlew, a three-time Paralympian, making his first international appearance of 2026, finished fourth in his heat before he claimed victory in the semi-final. In the final he recorded a time of 42.56 to finish just 0.22 seconds shy of the podium. The race was won by Brazilian Fernando Paulo in 42.01.
Martlew is one of three New Zealand Para canoeists selected for the ICF Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe World Championships in Poznan, Poland (Aug 26-30) alongside Paralympian #231 Peter Cowan and Finn Murphy.
O’Neill claims two medals in Brisbane
Paralympian #236 Neelam O’Neill PLY claimed a gold and silver medal at the BISC Cup in Brisbane (3-5 July). The Shooting Para sport athlete clinched top spot in the final of the P1 and P2 10m Air Pistol SH1 with a final score of 218.1. The Paris 2024 Paralympian also snared a silver medal in the 10m Air Rifle Prone with a score of 250.0
