Commonwealth Games medallist Hamish Carter is ready to pass on the baton as he steps into experienced shoes at Glasgow 2026. The 27-year-old has been named for his third Commonwealth Games for Team Scotland this summer but will take on a different role this time round.
From Bronze to Leadership
Following bronze medal success at his maiden Games at Gold Coast 2018, Carter is now the most experienced member of a youthful artistic gymnastics team taking to The Emirates Arena in Glasgow. Having stood on the podium alongside Dan Purvis, Frank Baines, David Weir and Kelvin Cham in Australia, Carter will now take on the leadership role and hopes to emulate his past teammates and steer his team to another Commonwealth medal on home soil.
"The previous two Games have been special in their own right, and now coming into my third as a home athlete is a brilliant way to round off what has been an incredible Commonwealth career," he said. "Over the years, there has been an age gap between the athletes. From Dan Purvis being the oldest at Gold Coast, and then Frank becomes the older member of the team in 2022, and then here I am now the senior member of the 2026 Games.
"That is a pinch yourself moment and I look back and think of that journey over eight years and how the senior guys have passed the baton to the next guy. It is a responsibility, but only in a good sense. It means upholding the values that I've learned over the years and bringing that to the training or competition environment and using it for the betterment of us."
A Journey Inspired by Teammates
Raised in Sutton Coldfield to a Scottish mother, Carter was inspired to take up gymnastics by the very athletes he went to win team bronze with on the Gold Coast. With Cham having to retire from the competition due to injury, the Scots rallied back from fifth place to bronze in a crucial floor rotation with an overall score of 240.975.
With such a high at his maiden Games, Carter noted that his youthfulness brought with it a naivety that helped his medal hopes. "The 2018 Commonwealths in Gold Coast was incredible," he said. "It felt like I was entering into a new world of competition and developing that team bond was so special. To win a medal almost felt expected at the time. As a young 18-year-old lad, the fact we had a strong team, it was as though we were just going to get a medal and maybe that naivety was positive."
Looking Ahead to Glasgow 2026
After missing out on the podium at Birmingham 2022, with a fifth-place finish in the team event, Carter now hopes that he can use his fresh new team bond, and teammates excitement to catapult Scotland back onto the podium once more. He added: "To carry on that legacy would be incredible and I'm sure that the crowd will be getting very loud for us Scottish athletes."
Follow Team Scotland's journey at Glasgow 2026 at @team_scotland on Instagram.
