Sean McCann – the younger brother of Madeleine McCann – competed in the men’s 400m freestyle swimming final at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and was supported by his family in the crowd

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Scotland’s Sean McCann reacts after the Men’s 400m Freestyle Final(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Sean McCann missed out on a medal as he finished last in the men’s 400m freestyle swimming final at the Commonwealth Games. McCann, 21, finished 12 seconds off the pace for Scotland in a race which saw Australia take gold, silver and bronze.

Sam Short topped the podium, with Elijah Winnington and Benjamin Goedemans finishing second and third respectively. England’s James Guy narrowly missed out on the bronze model after being bumped down to fourth late in the race. Northern Ireland’s Daniel Wiffen came fifth.

 

Backed by a home crowd, McCann got a huge cheer when he emerged for the final in Glasgow.

 

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Kate & Gerry McCann cheering on Sean(Image: Stuart Wallace/Shutterstock)

He was two years old when older sister Madeleine went missing during a family holiday in Portugal in May 2007. Her disappearance remains one of the world’s most high-profile missing person cases, with Metropolitan Police still investigating nearly two decades later.

 
Kate (up L) and Gerry McCann (up R), parents of Scotland's Sean McCann, watch as he competes in the Men's 400m Freestyle Final during the swimming event at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre in Glasgow, on day two of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, on July 25, 2026. (Photo by Oli SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)

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Kate (left) and Gerry McCann (right) watched from the stands alongside their daughter, Amelie(Image: Oli SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)

Sean’s dad, Gerry, and mum Kate were in the crowd alongside twin sister Amelie at the Tollcross Swimming Centre. Their son had come fourth in his heat and crept through to the final.

McCann is a student at Loughborough University, where he trains and studies chemical engineering. Having grown up in England, he qualifies for Scotland through his dad.

The 21-year-old still has a chance to win a first Commonwealth Games medal, as he’ll compete in the 800m and 1500m freestyle events later in the meet. McCann’s dream is to represent Team GB at the Olympic Games.

Speaking after his heat, he said: “The Olympics is always that step even further. Being able to represent Scotland is a good stepping stone on the way to that. Hopefully a couple more years work I will be in the mix for the Olympics.”