Madeleine McCann vanished in 2007. Her brother will swim at the Commonwealth Games
Steve Bird
Madeleine McCann’s brother has been selected to represent Scotland in swimming at the Commonwealth Games.
Sean McCann is expected to compete in a series of long-distance freestyle swimming events when the Games begin in Glasgow on Thursday.
The 21-year-old student hopes success at the Games will boost her chances of representing Great Britain at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
McCann was two years old when Madeleine disappeared shortly before her fourth birthday during a holiday in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in 2007.
His parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, fought tirelessly to find him. Madeleine, who was thought to have been kidnapped, could not be found.
McCann’s family is expected to watch him race at the Tollcross International Center throughout the 11-day competition. Her twin sister, Amelia, is a top-level swimmer and triathlete.
McCann, whose father is Scottish, represented Scotland at the Youth Commonwealth Games in Trinidad and Tobago in 2023. He finished fifth in the 400 meter freestyle race.
He also represented Britain at the European junior open water championships in Corfu.
The Loughborough University student trains in the pool nine times a week, completing 20 hours of training alongside her academic studies in chemical engineering.
Writing on the website of the Joe Humphries Memorial Trust, an organization set up to raise awareness of sudden arrhythmic death syndrome, McCann said he started swimming when he was eight years old.
“To achieve this, I had to remain extremely determined to get up at 4 a.m. and train every week since I was 11,” he wrote.
“I train in the pool nine times a week, plus three gym sessions a week totaling over 20 hours of training. I aim to compete at the 2026 Commonwealth Games and also the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.”
He is also a very good open water swimmer and is part of Britain’s national open water development team.
Although she has not spoken publicly about her sister’s disappearance, she supported her parents and twin sister at vigils to mark the 19th anniversary of Madeleine’s disappearance, most recently in May.
Her mother had previously claimed the family were busy coping with Madeleine’s disappearance, as well as the intense publicity surrounding the search for her.
“As a family, we’re busy 98 percent of the time. I don’t know if it’s a conscious thing, but it helps. The urge to call Madeleine has definitely never changed,” he said.
She also said her two youngest children like to be active. “They have their own friends, they’re busy and they’re really sporty. But all they want is for their sister to come home. We totally miss our family of five.”
The former GP is currently working as a medical professional; Her husband is a British Heart Foundation professor of cardiology at the University of Leicester and an honorary consultant cardiologist at Glenfield Hospital. The family lives in Leicestershire.
Telegraph, London
News, results and expert analysis from the sports weekend are delivered every Monday. Sign up for our sports newsletter.
