On 29 July, Ellis Kottas was seen on the world stage for the T54 1500-metre final in the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow.

The race was marred with controversy: two chairs collided, transforming the competition into a two athlete race.

Speaking to England Athletics, Kottas said: “Emotion is very high. It’s an incredible feeling. The race was like a domino effect and it was all about survival. I stayed upright and managed to keep going. I thought they’d re-do the race, but my coach said go for it, so I just locked in from that moment.”

“I’m part of Weir Archer, founded by the legendary David Weir – a great role model. The club has helped me train and learn drafting.”

On the first bend, Mauritian athlete Naome Alphonse moved to the left to avoid Canadian athlete Nandini Sharma, crashing into Australian athlete Eliza Ault-Connell, ending Alphonse’s race.

After making contact with the lane divider, Ault-Connell swerved to the right after colliding with the curb. As a result, her chair hit Joanne Robertson’s chair and tipped over.

Robertson swerved to the right due to the collision, falling out of her chair in lane 6.

This incident meant that Kottas had to navigate around the chaos, briefly leaving the track and crashing into a wall, then swiftly return to continue the race and pursue the other racers.

Kottas’s lightning reactions won her the bronze medal, however due to Sharma’s disqualification for obstructing other racers under WPA Rule 18.4, her medal was promoted to silver.

Following disputes from Team Australia and Mauritius, the race was re-ran on 31 July, where Kottas placed fourth.

On Instagram, Kottas wrote:

“Not many people can say they crashed into a wall in their major debut, then came third -> second -> ultimately fourth in a rerun, but it makes a good story!”

“Huge shoutout to everyone at Team England who have been so supportive and made this experience super enjoyable 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 “

“Even if I didn’t medal the flag pic deserves a permanent spot on the feed as a goal for the future…”

Speaking to Ellis via WhatsApp, she revealed her thoughts on the Games, and her plans for the future.

“I’m coming off the high of the Commonwealth Games. It certainly didn’t go as expected but I’ve made the best memories and genuinely enjoyed all of it and it’s boosted me on to look towards an actual future in wheelchair racing.”

“I’m racing at the Stratford Speed event this weekend and will do any other local comps over the next month but that’s pretty much it for my season now!”

Weir Archer Academy is exceptionally proud of Kottas’s performance, and how she dealt with the situation with professionalism and integrity.

Keep up with Ellis’s latest endeavours at @ellisonaroll on Instagram.