Five big names to look out for at Commonwealth Games

With 215 golds up for grabs at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, highlighting just five medal hopefuls is no easy feat.

Scotland's largest city is set to welcome more than 3,000 athletes from 10 sports, all of whom have the ambition of leaving with a slab of metal resting on their chest.

For some, a podium-finish is paramount. The bare minimum. For others, competing at the Games is a win in itself.

Much has been made of the reduced programme, the city's readiness and the 'what next?' once Glasgow has passed on the hosting baton again, but for now, the attention - finally - is fully on the athletes.

Here, BBC Scotland highlights some of the biggest names set to compete in the upcoming Commonwealth Games.

Is Glasgow ready for the Commonwealth Games - and does the city care?

Can Wales find new Commonwealth legends in Glasgow?

Keep up to date with the Commonwealth Games here

Can record-breaking Kerr make more history?

We couldn't start with anyone else, could we?

Even before he walked the walk after talking the talk, new mile world-record holder Josh Kerr was the poster boy for his home Games.

The brazen - arguably gallus - boy from Edinburgh has won the hearts of many Scots, and athletics fans generally, in recent years for his no-nonsense, bullish approach on and off the track.

He set out his stall months ago, targeting the men's mile world record - which had stood for 27 years - at London's Diamond League on Saturday.

Kerr didn't just break it, he smashed it by nearly half a second, running a simply sublime three minutes 42.66 seconds.

The Scot now heads to his homeland for his second Games appearance, competing in the Commonwealth Mile in search of his first medal for Team Scotland.

The 28-year-old told BBC Scotland earlier this year that "gold in Scotland is what I grew up thinking about" and you'd be a brave soul to wager against him when he's in this mood.

Men's one mile final: Scotstoun Stadium on Saturday, 1 August.

Ten years on from Rio... Cox to swoop gold again?

It's hard to believe Kadeena Cox has not yet competed at a Commonwealth Games.

The para-cyclist, who won gold in athletics and cycling at the 2016 Paralympics in Rio, has missed the last two Commonwealth Games because of injury.

But the 35-year-old, who was a contestant on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here in 2021 after winning Celebrity Masterchef earlier that year, will be hopeful of cooking up a storm at the ever-rowdy Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome for Team England.

In an expanded para-track cycling programme, Cox will compete in the C4-5 event with her sights set on another podium finish.

Cox made the watching world sit up and take notice 10 years ago in Brazil. Sure to be well-backed in Glasgow, it would be right on brand for the vivacious Cox to star in the Glasgow velodrome.

Women's C4-5 4000m individual pursuit final: Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome on Thursday, 30 July.

Can Le Clos become most decorated male in Games history?

When it comes to the Commonwealth Games, names don't get much bigger than Chad le Clos.

The South African swimmer is one medal away from becoming the most decorated male athlete in the Games' history. His current haul of 18 - seven gold, four silver and a further seven bronze - is deeply impressive.

A good number of them were collected in Glasgow 12 years ago when he equalled the legendary Ian Thorpe's record of seven medals in one Games.

At 34, Le Clos won't compete in as many races this time but is set to be on the blocks for the men's 50m and 100m butterfly events.

He won gold in the 100m butterfly here back in 2014 and also pocketed a bronze in the 50m - but he claimed a gold in that distance on the Gold Coast in 2018.

Any medal will secure the record for the man from Durban and Glasgow, where he produced such a remarkable show in 2014, is the perfect stage to make history.

Men's 50m butterfly final: Tollcross Swimming Centre on Wednesday, 29 July.

Men's 100m butterfly final: Tollcross Swimming Centre on Sunday, 26 July.

Teenage superstar Stowers to steal show?

This rising superstar is more a 'if you don't know, get to know' athlete.

Remember the name: Seine Stowers.

A junior Commonwealth Games champion, Stowers marked her 18th birthday earlier this year with four gold medals - breaking 12 records along the way - at the Universal Weightlifting Championship in her homeland of Samoa.

Competing in the women's 77kg - as she will in Glasgow - she lifted 142kg in the clean and jerk category as she established herself as one of Samoa's most exciting medal prospects for years.