Sports

Young caps historic campaign with sixth-place finish

July 27, 2026 10:00 am

[Photo: Taina Basiyalo]

David Tolu Young has capped off a history-making Commonwealth Games campaign with a sixth-place finish in the men’s 50m freestyle final in Glasgow, Scotland.

The Fijian sprint sensation touched the wall in 22.18 seconds, finishing just one-hundredth of a second behind South Africa’s Calvyn Justus (22.17) in a world-class field.

Australia’s Cameron McEvoy claimed gold and set a new Commonwealth Games record with a blistering 20.97 seconds, ahead of compatriots Flynn Southam (21.44) and Jamie Jack (21.47).

While Young narrowly missed the medals, his appearance in the final had already etched his name into Fiji’s sporting history after becoming the first Fijian to qualify for a Commonwealth Games men’s 50m freestyle final.

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The 22.09 seconds he produced in the heats to secure his place in the final remains one of the finest swims by a Fijian on the international stage, earning widespread praise from Team Fiji and Fiji Aquatics.

Young’s campaign has set a new benchmark for Fijian swimming and further established him as one of the country’s brightest talents in the pool.

Meanwhile, you can watch the LIVE coverage of the Commonwealth Games on FBC 2 daily from 7.30pm to 10am.