Commonwealth Games: Canada claims first gold medal in gymnastics

Earlier Friday, Mary Jibb of Muskoka, Ont., finished third in the women’s 200-metre individual medley SM10 before Jack Gill of Brockville, Ont., added a second Para swimming bronze in the men’s 100-metre butterfly S10 final.

Canada’s 3×3 wheelchair basketball teams, meanwhile, opened the event with a pair of wins.

Élodie Tessier scored 10 points and pulled down four rebounds as the women began their defence of their Commonwealth Games gold with a 19-3 win over South Africa.

“I’m very proud of the team,” Tessier said. “I think we really kept focused the entire way, and it showed on the court today.”

Reed Michael De’aeth had eight points and 11 rebounds to lead the men’s team past Kenya 16-3.

“I think the nerves were a little shaky,” said Garrett Ostepchuk. “It’s our first game in the tournament. We came in like maybe put a little too much pressure on ourselves.

“We just got to take a little breath, step into those shots that we take consistently.”

It was the first preliminary game for both the Canadian men and women.

They’ll both return to the court on Sunday when both Canadian squads face their English counterparts. England’s men and women also won their opening games on Friday.

The Commonwealth Games run through Aug. 2. This year’s competition, featuring 3,000 athletes from 74 countries and territories, was downsized after Glasgow rode to the rescue when the Australian state of Victoria pulled out in 2023 over ballooning hosting costs.

The 2026 Commonwealth Games features 10 sports: athletics, swimming, boxing, judo, artistic gymnastics, track cycling, netball, weightlifting, bowls and three-on-three basketball.

Six sports include their Para sport counterpart: athletics, swimming, bowls, basketball, track cycling and weightlifting.

The Commonwealth Games include Para sport in a country’s medal tally, and Glasgow is hosting the largest Para sport program in the Games’ history.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 24, 2026.

The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

Commonwealth Games: Canada claims first gold medal in gymnastics

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