Team England has suffered a major setback ahead of the athletics programme at the 2026 Commonwealth Games after Olympic silver medallist Katarina Johnson-Thompson and sprint star Dina Asher-Smith withdrew from the competition.
Johnson-Thompson, 33, pulled out because of injury, while Asher-Smith, Olympic 400m silver medallist Matt Hudson-Smith, sprinter Daryll Neita and 400m runner Amber Anning have also been replaced in England’s squad.
The withdrawals were confirmed on the day of the opening ceremony, dealing a significant blow to the athletics competition, which begins on Monday in Glasgow.
Johnson-Thompson had been set to compete in her third Commonwealth Games heptathlon after winning gold on the Gold Coast in 2018 and defending her title in Birmingham in 2022.
Team England did not disclose the nature of her injury but confirmed that Niamh Emerson, who won bronze behind Johnson-Thompson in 2022, will take her place in the squad.
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Asher-Smith and Hudson-Smith had been selected for England’s relay teams, while Neita and Anning were also expected to feature in the athletics programme.
They have been replaced by Renee Regis, Ebuka Nwokeji, Tara Simpson-Sullivan and Tom Keen.
Johnson-Thompson’s withdrawal follows an earlier decision by Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson to skip the Commonwealth Games and instead focus on the European Athletics Championships, which begin in Birmingham on 10 August.
England’s squad for the European Championships is expected to be announced next week.
The Commonwealth Games have also lost several international stars. St Lucia’s Olympic 100m champion Julien Alfred has withdrawn, while Canadian swimming sensation Summer McIntosh has opted to compete at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships.
The Glasgow Games have faced scheduling challenges since the Australian state of Victoria withdrew as host in 2023, forcing organisers to find a replacement venue and finalise dates only last October.
Despite the withdrawals, Glasgow 2026 chief executive Phil Batty insisted the competition would remain strong.
“We have got an incredible field of athletes,” he said.
“It is really important to make sure we have those athletes at the pinnacle of their career and you can see that across the sports.
“It is equally exciting to see, just like what happened in 2014, which athletes this starts that breakthrough moment.”
Commonwealth Sport chief executive Katie Sadlier acknowledged the scheduling difficulties and said discussions would continue with other sporting bodies to create a clearer international calendar.
“This Games was a little bit of a challenge because we only had 18 months and it was really difficult to say, ‘Where is the gap in the two-year period?'”
“As we move forward more of those conversations will happen.”
