Lamar Taylor competes at Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow; reaches semis in all three events

Commonwealth Games 2026: Bahamian swimmer Lamar Taylor puts his psychology degree to work in the pool - ‘I learnt so much’

Speaking exclusively to Olympics.com, the 23-year-old opened up about the mental obstacles in swimming, using his psychology major to improve his performance, and more.

What makes a good swimmer ? A powerful upper body strength, lean build, strong core and more. The list could go on.

But one trait all competitive swimmers swear by is their mental fortitude.

The art of keeping cool under pressure at meets, staying motivated during long training sessions and pushing through physical discomfort when it’s the hardest.

For Bahamian swimmer Lamar Taylor cracking the swimmer mindset came naturally, thanks to his educational background.

He holds a psychology major from the University of Tennessee in the United States, and says his degree has helped him in his professional swimming.

“I learned so much,” Paris 2024 Olympian Taylor told Olympics.com in an exclusive interview at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.

“You would think that the anxiety that we go through, it’s unknown, but it all leads to a source. Some of it is self-doubt, some of it is the fear of failure. All of that has a reasoning and path.

“To learn about that and what causes it, it definitely helps to try and see what you can do to get better or change it.”

Taylor is among the 20 Bahamian athletes competing at Glasgow 2026 , his second Commonwealth Games.

Racing in the pool at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre, he went as far as the semi-finals of all three events he signed up for - the men’s 50m backstroke, and the 50m and 100m freestyle.

Lamar Taylor (right) poses on the podium of men’s 50m freestyle final at the 2023 Pan Am Games on October 24, 2023 in Santiago, Chile.

The ‘mental’ aspect of swimming

Born in Freeport, on the island of Grand Bahama, Taylor has been swimming since the age of two - or in his own words, “since the day I was born essentially”.

From the beginning, he knew he wanted to be a professional athlete, living a life far away from the grind of working “9 to 5”.

Over the years, Taylor’s promising career has taken him to major events, from the World Aquatics Championships and Commonwealth Games to the Olympics , the pinnacle of an athlete’s professional career.

The 23-year-old has also tasted success along the way, be it winning a gold medal in the 50m backstroke at the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games or a bronze in the 50m freestyle at the 2023 Pan American Games .

If there’s one thing he has learnt from long hours in the pool, it is that swimming requires as much mental training as physical.

“A lot of people think the race begins as soon as the event starts, but it starts a week before the race even happens, before you even hop inside the water for warm-up,” Taylor explained.

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Lamar Taylor of Team Bahamas competes in the men’s 100m freestyle heats on day 20 of the Singapore 2025 World Aquatics Championships at World Aquatics Championships Arena on July 30, 2025 in Singapore.

A recipient of the World Aquatics Scholarship , Taylor said he used to struggle dealing with so-called “mind games” from fellow swimmers.

But as he gained more experience in the pool, his confidence grew.

“The mind games used to affect me during my first World Championships [in 2022], but after I swam, I realised I’m on that level and there’s really nothing to be afraid of,” he said.

“All my training, time and effort mean something so I try not to really let any of that get to me at all.”

“A lot of swimmers play psychological games with each other… I don’t do that because I always try to be as helpful and supportive,” he added. “I I always tell myself that if I want to race somebody and beat them, I want to beat them on a fair level.”

And thus, it was no surprise when Taylor, who has the famous Olympic rings tattooed on his arm, helped a fellow competitor at Paris 2024 in the 100m freestyle.

“A guy got rejected for a swim cap and I was like, “Hey man, I want to race you. So, here’s a swim cap”. So I gave him an extra one, a blank cap I carried inside my bag,” Taylor recalled.

“He didn’t say much but thanked me… I could tell by the look on his face that he was so grateful.”

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After making history at Birmingham 2022 as the first male swimmer from the Bahamas to qualify for a final in swimming, when he finished seventh in 50m freestyle, Taylor fell short this time in Glasgow.

There’s a lot to improve, he admits, adding that he doesn’t take the chance to represent the Caribbean nation for granted.

“It means a lot. I’ll always be forever grateful to be selected for this team,” Taylor said. “I know that a lot of people want me to do great. When I lose, they’ll always have my back.”

And throughout his time in the pool at Glasgow 2026, a small yet loud crowd of Bahamians cheered him on, making him feel at home despite being more than 4,000 miles away from there.

“It makes everything so electric and brings so much strength in me. I am always thankful for them,” he added.

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Commonwealth Games 2026 | Glasgow | United Kingdom