Zac Shaw says gold medal is part of his late mother's 'legacy' after displaying emotional message following T12 100m victory
Published 31/07/2026 at 11:32 GMT+1
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Zac Shaw starred for Team England on Day 7 of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, clocking 10.89 to take victory in the men's T12 100m. The 30-year-old detailed a difficult past year after the death of his mother.
England Para gold medallist Shaw opens up on 'tough' emotional journey following mother's death
Video credit: TNT Sports
Shaw opened up on how the loss of his mum, Evette, led to him considering retirement after "losing the fire" for his athletics career.
But having something to "aim for" in the Glasgow 2026 Games served as his way of channeling his grief.
”In one week today, it is going to be a year [since his mother passed], so it is still very, very recent, and it has been tough,” he told TNT Sports.
”I remember me and Johnnie [Peacock] had a coffee last year and I was chatting through plans for this year and I remember saying to you [Peacock] about the Commonwealths and it was just hard.
”I think anyone who has been through any form of grief will know and be able to resonate with how tough it is, and obviously it is different for everybody.
”I feel lucky that I have had this to aim for, because not everyone has this, and it has been something that has been keeping me going for the last year, to be honest.
”Wholeheartedly, I wasn’t even sure if I would be on the start line here, a year ago, I genuinely didn’t know.
”There was a point in February this year where I remember sitting there thinking, 'I could retire now', like I’d lost the fire in me. It has just been putting one step in front of the other.”
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But inspired by wanting to win gold for his mother, Shaw did just that, storming to T12 100m gold with a time of 10.89s.
It followed silver and bronze at the Paralympics in Paris two years ago and a silver medal in Birmingham in 2022. This time, though, there was only one medal Shaw was interested in.
He explained that he planned a gesture for his mum if he did win gold, and that after successfully advancing past the heats, he wrote a note saying ”Gold for you Mum” as he looked to continue her legacy.
”My mum was here four years ago watching me win a silver and I wanted her to be here yesterday in some way,” he explained.
”It was a couple of months ago I thought, if I win, I would love to do something for her.
”I said to myself, let me get through the heats, if I get through the heats, I am going to write it. If I win, everybody will see it, if I don’t win, nobody is going to see it.
”I didn’t tell anybody about it, it was more just I wanted her to be in that moment and I wanted that medal to be a part of her legacy as well, because although she is not here, she has played a big part in it.”
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