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Madeleine McCann’s brother narrowly misses out on medal at Commonwealth Games

Sean McCann's family supported him from the crowd as he competed in the men's 400m freestyle swimming final in Glasgow

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Sean McCann missed out on a medal in the men's 400m freestyle swimming final at the Commonwealth Games
Sean McCann missed out on a medal in the men's 400m freestyle swimming final at the Commonwealth Games. Picture: Getty

By Katy Dartford

The parents of Madeleine McCann cheered on as their son Sean competed in his Commonwealth Games debut for Scotland in the final of the men's 400 metres freestyle.

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The younger brother of Madeleine finished eighth with a time of three minutes 53.47 seconds at Tollcross International Swimming Centre in Glasgow.

The 21-year-old was 12 seconds off the pace for Scotland in the race, which saw Australia take gold, silver and bronze.

Scott, who reached the final after qualifying in the same spot, is also expected to compete in the men's 800m and 1,500m freestyle events later in the Games.

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Kate (up L) and Gerry McCann (up R), parents of Scotland's Sean McCann, watch as he competes in the Men's 400m Freestyle Final.
Kate (up L) and Gerry McCann (up R), parents of Scotland's Sean McCann, watch as he competes in the Men's 400m Freestyle Final. Picture: Getty

The final was won by Sam Short in 3:41.25, with Elijah Winnington getting the silver in 3:45.56, and Benjamin Goedemans just behind in 3:45.57. England's James Guy was fourth in 3:46.70.

McCann, who studies chemical engineering at Loughborough University, previously represented Scotland at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Tobago in 2023, where he finished fifth in the 400m freestyle event.

As a child at the City of Leicester club, he won multiple county titles and was national champion in his age group.

His parents are regular spectators at his swimming competitions, where he swims for Scotland through his dad Gerry, who was born in Glasgow.

Sean McCann qualified in eighth place for the 400m freestyle final.
Sean McCann qualified in eighth place for the 400m freestyle final. Picture: Getty

Scott says he hopes to use his experience at the championships to target a place in the Great Britain team for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

"The Olympics is always the ultimate goal," he said. "Being able to represent Scotland here is a really important stepping stone towards that. Hopefully, with a couple more years of hard work, I can put my name in the mix."

Scott McCann was two years old when Madeleine disappeared in 2007
Scott McCann was two years old when Madeleine disappeared in 2007. Picture: Getty

Scott was two years old when Madeleine disappeared shortly before her fourth birthday during a holiday in the Portuguese coastal town of Praia da Luz in 2007. Despite many searches, she has never been found.