Ghana swimmer Abeku Jackson has broken the national record in the men’s 50m backstroke at the 2026 Commonwealth Games after clocking 26.48 seconds in the heats.

Abeku, who competed in Heat 4 of 5 from Lane 1, improved on his previous personal best of 26.97 seconds and also surpassed the previous Ghana national record of 26.84 seconds, which was held by Jason Arthur.

The performance earned him qualification to the semi-finals as a reserve.

In Heat 4, England’s Oliver Morgan topped the standings with a time of 24.91 seconds, while compatriot Jack Skerry finished second in 25.08 seconds. Scotland’s Matthew Ward placed third after clocking 25.16 seconds.

Meanwhile, Nubia Adjei also featured in the women’s 50m butterfly heats, finishing 8th and recording a time of 30.02 seconds.

Adjei’s time was slower than her personal best of 28.82 seconds. Jamaica’s Sabrina Lyn won the heat with a time of 27.75 seconds.

Guernsey’s Orla Rabey placed second with a time of 28.39 seconds, while Elyse Wood of The Bahamas finished third after recording 28.60 seconds.

Ghana’s swimming team will continue its campaign on Saturday, with Ivan Snowden set to compete in the men’s 50m freestyle.

Snowden will race in Heat 5 with an entry time of 24.45 seconds as he looks to make his mark at the competition.

Ghana will also feature in the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay, where the team will compete in Heat 3 alongside strong swimming nations including Scotland, New Zealand, South Africa and Jamaica.