Commonwealth Games: Halifax's Max Burgin intent on enjoying medal success on all fronts

Burgin began his Commonwealth Games campaign in consummate style at Scotstoun Stadium on Tuesday, leading from the front to comfortable progress to the 800m semi-finals in 1:46.61.

Burgin will go again on Thursday evening before a potential final on a blockbuster Saturday, which will also host the men’s and women’s mile finals.

The Halifax Harrier will have just a week before he goes again at the European Championships in Birmingham, but Burgin is ready for the challenge as he searches for his first senior international medals.

“I'm just going to take this as much as a training stimulus as it is a race,” he said.

“Championship racing is a different stimulus to regular racing, and when I get to the end of these championships, I'll be fitter for it.

“I'll have that week to turn around, get a few sharp sessions in and hopefully head into the Euros in even better shape.

“A medal here would be a perfect way to go into that. The confidence would be invaluable.

“Quality-wise, it's comparable championships when you look at who makes and doesn't make the final.”

Burgin arrived in Glasgow as one of the favourites for a medal in the 800m and he could be set to battle it out with fellow Englishmen Ben Pattison and York’s Alex Botterill.

Both also qualified for the semi-finals, with Pattison easing through in 1:46.96 while Botterill produced a strong finish to qualify in 1:45.92 behind medal contender Peter Bol of Australia.

It was a blustery morning in Glasgow on Tuesday, but Burgin was more than content with the home conditions.

“I was pleased to get the heats out of the way and done with, in a relatively comfortable time,” he said.

“[I led] from the front, so into the wind a little bit but it's no worse than training in Leeds. I was happy with that.

“The track feels good as well. It feels lovely, a nice fast surface. I think it'll be warmer later in the week as well so we could see some fast times.”

Burgin is enjoying another strong season after an excellent campaign in 2025 that saw him race consistently and finish sixth at the World Championships in a new personal best of 1:42.29.

It is a stark contrast from the last Commonwealth Games, which Burgin missed due to deep vein thrombosis in his leg.

But now fully fit after a string of injuries in previous years, the 24-year-old is loving competing at a major championships on home soil.

“I was stuck in the US with a DVT, unable to fly back for it, which was a bit rubbish,” he said. “It feels great to make it this time.

“I’m grateful for it still to be a home Games. Sometimes you think if you miss one, it's not going to come around again, but luckily for us, it has.

“Maturity-wise, things have come on a lot. I haven't actually run that many races between then [2022] and now. Most of them came last year.

“Even so, I think I've progressed quite a lot and learned a lot. I've certainly learned far more about how to conduct yourself in championships and finals. The last step for me is learning how to win them.

“It would mean everything [to win a medal]. I've never won an international medal before at senior level, so to win my first one at a home Games would be incredible.”

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