Madeleine McCann’s younger brother Sean, 21, to swim for Scotland in Commonwealth Games as he targets Team GB glory
MADELEINE McCann’s younger brother will swim for Scotland at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
Sean McCann, 21, hopes this will put him on the path to qualify for Team GB and swim at the LA Olympics in 2028.
Sean was only two years old when his elder sister was abducted in her sleep while on a family holiday in Praia da Luz, Portugal.
She vanished on May 3, 2007 and she has been missing since, presumed dead.
The disappearance of the three-year-old prompted a worldwide manhunt and the episode has caused significant pain and heartache for the family.
Sean – who has a twin sister Amelie – has become an international swimmer and is part of the team selected for the rescheduled and slimmed-down Games in Scotland.
He will compete this weekend in the same squad that includes swimming legend Duncan Scott, who has eight Olympic medals, including two golds.
The Leicester athlete – who studies chemical engineering at Loughborough University – will swim in the freestyle disciplines.
Sean began competing aged eight and previously raced for his nation at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Trinidad and Tobago in 2023 in the 400m and 1500m freestyle.
It is not known if his parents Kate and Gerry McCann will be in attendance at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre during the 11-day event, which opens on Thursday.
A keen sea swimmer, he prefers the longer distances and appeared in British colours at the European junior open water championships in Corfu in 2023.
When he was first introduced to the pool by his mum, Sean said he “hated it at first, didn’t want to go, but then after a while, it grew on me and I am still here now”.
Writing a few years ago on the Joe Humphries Memorial Trust website, he said: “I started competitive sport when I was eight, joining Charnwood triathlon club.
“It was here that I discovered my passion for swimming and I joined Loughborough Town swimming club to increase the number of swim sessions I did per week.
“At the age of ten, I was selected to swim at City of Leicester and I have since gone on to win multiple county titles as well as becoming regional and National champion in my age group.
“In order to have achieved this, I have had to remain extremely dedicated, getting up at 4am multiple mornings each week to train, since the age of 11.
“I train nine times a week in the pool, as well as three gym sessions, totalling over 20 hours of training per week.
“I’m aiming to compete at the 2026 Commonwealth Games and also the 2028 Olympics in LA.”
