For a family who have spent almost two decades in the spotlight for the most painful reason imaginable, Sean McCann’s Commonwealth Games debut was a moment of pure joy.
Gerry and Kate McCann, alongside Sean’s twin sister Amelie, were in the stands at Glasgow’s Tollcross International Swimming Centre to watch their son compete – and by the end of the men’s 400m freestyle final, they had every reason to be proud.
The 21-year-old finished eighth, 12 seconds behind Australian gold medallist Sam Short, the reigning world champion. But for Sean, simply lining up against some of the world’s best swimmers was a milestone in itself.
“I’m buzzing,” he said after his heat swim, which qualified him for the final. “[Making the final] wasn’t really an expectation coming in, especially with how strong the field was, but I’m delighted to see I made it.”
Sean, who studies chemical engineering at Loughborough University, competes for Scotland through his dad Gerry.
He was just two years old – alongside his twin sister Amelie – when their older sister Madeleine disappeared during a family holiday in Portugal in 2007, then aged three.
Nearly two decades on, swimming has become Sean’s own story to tell.
He admitted the occasion got to him in the best way.
“I wouldn’t say I felt the pressure but I was certainly nervous with so many people watching,” he said after the race. “It was amazing, I could hear them the whole way through the race. They spurred me on to really give it my all down that last 100m.”
Sean isn’t done yet – he’s also set to race the 800m and 1500m freestyle in Glasgow, with one eye on a bigger prize down the line: the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
“The Olympics is always that step even further, so to be able to represent Scotland here is a good stepping stone,” he said. “Hopefully a couple of years of work will put my name in the mix.”
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