Jeremiah Azu missed out on a Commonwealth medal for the second Games in a row after finishing fifth in the men's 100m final at the Commonwealth Games 2026. The Welsh sprinter had looked in strong form through the rounds, but a rain-affected final saw him clock 10.03 seconds as Emmanuel Eseme took the title for Team Cameroon.
It was a frustrating end for Azu, who had eased through the heats before running 10.00 seconds in the semi-final. But the final proved just a little quicker and just a little crueler, leaving him once again outside the medal places after also finishing fifth four years ago in Birmingham.
Azu: no obvious mistakes, but no medal
After the race, Azu made clear that he was not looking for excuses. He said: "I don't feel like I really made any mistakes so it's a hard one to take. These guys are just running crazy fast," before adding that he felt he had put together a good race.
He also said he had believed the winning time would be in the 9.9-low range, and that he thought he was capable of that level himself. "I felt like I put a good race together. I thought it would be won in 9.9-low which I think I'm capable of, I just didn't put it together today," he said.
What comes next for the Welsh sprinter?
Despite the disappointment, Azu stressed the pride he feels when representing Wales. "But to represent Wales is always a pleasure, always an honour," he said.
That is the bigger picture here: the result will sting, especially after such a promising path through the heats and semi-final, but Azu remains a sprinter who has shown he can compete at the sharp end. The margin at this level is fine, and on this occasion the medal places slipped away in the final stride.
