David Mullarkey wins bronze in men’s 10,000m at Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow; 68-year wait ends
Commonwealth Games 2026: David Mullarkey reflects on historic first athletics medal for Isle of Man – ‘I burned through all my savings to keep the dream alive’
Commonwealth Games 2026: David Mullarkey reflects on historic first athletics medal for Isle of Man – ‘I burned through all my savings to keep the dream alive’
The 26-year-old spoke to Olympics.com after winning bronze in the men’s 10,000m at a rain-soaked Scotstoun Stadium, ending the island’s 68-year wait for an athletics medal.
David Mullarkey ran himself into Manx sporting history on Tuesday (28 July) night, claiming bronze in the men’s 10,000m at the Commonwealth Games Glasgow 2026 – the Isle of Man’s first-ever athletics medal in the competition’s 96-year history.
In torrential Glasgow rain, Mullarkey stayed in contention throughout the 25-lap race before striking with a lap to go, crossing the line in 27:50.28 behind champion Ky Robinson of Australia and India’s Gulveer Singh .
It was the island’s first athletics medal in 68 years of competing at the Games, and its first Commonwealth Games medal in any sport since shooter Tim Kneale ’s silver in 2018.
“To put the Isle of Man on the map in athletics is great,” Mullarkey told Olympics.com in an exclusive interview moments after the race. “Took a little while for myself to get here, but hopefully we can inspire the next generation of Manx athletes to also come and do something similar in the future.”
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Mullarkey adds Commonwealth bronze to the 5000m gold he won at the UK Athletics Championships earlier this year.
‘If my bank account hits zero, that’s it’ - David Mullarkey
The road to the podium was anything but smooth. After finishing his collegiate career at Northern Arizona University in the USA, Mullarkey stayed on in Flagstaff – but found himself with no contract, no backer and a dwindling bank balance.
“I never felt like I was one of a youth generational talent,” he said. “I’m 26 years old – it’s not old, but it was also not young to be competing at some of my first major championships. I finished in the NCAA and I was unsponsored for seven months, and I burned through all my savings just to keep the dream alive.”
Even his family needed convincing. “I said to my parents, who were a little bit hesitant – they’re like, ‘Are you sure this is the right idea?’ – I said, ‘I’m going to be putting every penny I can towards this, and if my bank account hits zero and I’m out, that’s it, and we see where we go from there.’ But luckily it paid off, and the dream continues.”
Mullarkey in action during the final of the men’s 10,000 metres at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games at Scotstoun Stadium.
Now backed by Under Armour, Mullarkey credits a mental reset for his breakthrough: “I’m a lot less outcome-orientated. It’s not about focusing on the medals, it’s about focusing on the time – how are we going to execute the best race that we can on the day? At no time was I thinking about medals or winning.”
The execution, by his own assessment, was near flawless: “I didn’t make any silly moves. When I did make a move, I made it stick and put myself in a great position with a lap to go. I think that was as close to perfect as I could have got it today.”
There is little time to celebrate. Mullarkey returns to the track for Saturday’s 5000m final, chasing a second medal, before representing Great Britain at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham.
“Medal round the neck, it’s always a nice feeling,” he smiled. “But I’ve got the 5000 on Saturday, so I can’t dwell on it too much.”
The dream, as he puts it, continues.
By Grace Goulding Will Imbo
23 July - 2 August
Commonwealth Games 2026 | Glasgow | United Kingdom