Jazmin Sawyers capped a comeback season with victory in the women’s long jump at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, winning with a best effort of 6.93m.
The England athlete’s winning jump came on her fourth attempt and put her clear of Ruth Usoro of Nigeria and Brooke BuschKuehl of Australia. For Sawyers, the result carried extra weight after a difficult run of major championships in recent years.
The 32-year-old missed the 2024 Olympics after rupturing her Achilles tendon and having surgery, a setback that also meant she was commentating for the instead of competing in Paris. Before that, she had failed to qualify for the final at the 2023 World Championships.
Sawyers has long had a connection with Glasgow. She won silver there at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, her first major championships, and said the city has remained special to her ever since. Four years ago, she finished fourth at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, leaving her still searching for another major podium finish.
“It hasn't properly hit me how this is the thing I've been telling myself all the horrible bits are for,” Sawyers said. “The feeling is overwhelming. I will do the horrible bits 100 times over, I'll do it and do it and do it. This is amazing.”
She added that 12 years ago, almost to the day, she won a silver in Glasgow and described it as one of the best moments of her career. “When you've done that there's only one thing to do which is to upgrade,” she said.
On 10 August, Sawyers was due to compete for Great Britain at the European Championships in Birmingham, another opportunity to build on a result that confirms she is back among the Commonwealth’s best. England also had success elsewhere, with silver in the mixed 4x400m relay and Owen Heard taking bronze in pole vault.
