Wheelchair racer Melanie Woods claimed two gold medals at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games to be named the outstanding athlete.
A Scottish para-athlete has said she had to “stay composed” and keep her “emotions at bay” when her first gold victory at the Commonwealth Games was overturned.
Wheelchair racer Melanie Woods was named the outstanding athlete of Glasgow 2026 after claiming two gold medals on home soil.
Ms Woods initially won the 1500m in a Commonwealth Games record of 3:33.39.
However, a collision on the opening lap brought down several athletes and the subsequent appeals led to the result being voided and the entire race being held again.
Despite losing a gold medal she believed she had already secured, Ms Woods accepted the decision and remained respectful towards her competitors, officials and the appeals process.
Less than 40 hours later, she returned to the track and won again. Woods took the lead after 100 metres, was never headed and finished in 3:32.20, lowering the Games record she had set in the original race.
She told the Press Association: “There was a bit of a drama with my event, and when I went out there on Wednesday night to run the 1500m final, there was unfortunately a crash, which took out a number of the field, so we had to rerun the race.
“After crossing the line and winning that medal, I got told later on that night that we were going to have to redo it.
“So I was kind of going to bed that night not knowing when the rerun was going to happen, but also having to stay composed and kind of keep my emotions at bay, so that I could have the energy to go out there and do it again.”
After claiming gold in the 1500m event, Ms Woods returned for the 400m heats 90 minutes later and qualified fastest for the final.
She then went on to win the title the following evening to claim her second gold medal of the Games.
“That’s like best-case scenario, really,” she said.
“I dreamt of it and I hoped that that would happen, but that actually being a reality is a very different story. I’m so pleased and excited.”
After showing exceptional composure when her first victory was overturned, Ms Woods was also given the David Dixon award, which is given to an “outstanding athlete” at each Commonwealth Games.
The award recognises the athlete judged by their peers to have best combined sporting performance, fair play and contribution to their team.
Speaking about the award, Ms Woods said it was an “honour”.
“When I was told that I was getting it, they said that no Scottish athlete had ever had it. So it felt like a pretty cool honour to go up there and and get that trophy,” she said.
The 2026 Commonwealth Games were brought to an end in spectacular fashion with music, dancing and a fireworks display over the River Clyde.
Thousands of spectators packed into the Glasgow Hydro on Sunday evening for the closing ceremony, which brought down the curtain on 11 days of sporting action at venues across the city.
The event also marked the handover to the Indian city of Amdavad, which will host the Games in 2030.
Reflecting on the event, Commonwealth Games chief executive officer Phil Batty said Scotland has “secured the future of the Commonwealth sport movement”.
“The sport was electric, I enjoyed the atmosphere in the city, the cultural festival, everything that brought Glasgow to life,” he said.
“But probably for me, [the highlight] was the volunteer that came up to me on day five, gave me a hug, and that got me through the rest of the competition.”
