Jamaica wins two gold medals on opening day of Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games

Jamaica: Romaine Beckford and Demario Prince secured first two gold medals for Jamaica on the opening day of the athletics competition at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, Monday.

Beckford earned the gold in high jump with a clearance of 2.25 meters. He tied for the top jump with India’s Sarvesh Kushare, but managed to win the gold on countback. England’s Kimani Kack took the bronze with a jump of 2.20m, while Jamaica’s Raymond Richards also cleared in 2.20m and took the fourth spot on countback.

Prince won Jamaica’s second gold in the men’s 110m hurdles in 13.17 seconds. Samuel Bennett of Great Britain broke his personal best with 13.30 seconds and took the silver medal. Cyprus’ Milan Trajkovic won the bronze in 13.32 seconds. Jamaica’s Jerome Campbell also made it to the final and took 6th place in 13.86 seconds.

With two gold medals in athletics won by Jamaica on day 1, they are now in the top ten rankings on the medal table, at number 9. Australia dominated the overall 2026 Commonwealth Games medal table with a total of 59 medals (26 gold, 13 silver, 20 bronze).

England took 2nd place with 32 medals followed by Canada (21), Nigeria (10), Scotland (11), South Africa (11), Malaysia (11), India (10), Jamaica (2), and New Zealand (8). These rankings are currently based on the number of gold, then silver, and at last bronze, instead of overall medals.

The 23rd Commonwealth Games will take place in Glasgow, Scotland from July 23 to August 2, 2026. In total, 74 nations will participate in 215 events held across 10 different sports.

Para-sports competition will feature six events: In 3x3 basketball, athletics, bowls, cycling, swimming and weightlifting. The other four sports include artistic gymnastics, boxing, judo, and netball.