THE ‘TEAM GB DREAM’ BREAKTHROUGH: Madeleine McCann’s brother Sean’s next move stuns the nation

Madeleine McCann’s brother Sean set for Commonwealth Games as Team GB dream revealed

Sean, the younger sibling of Madeleine McCann, is eyeing a place in Team GB for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

Maddy McCann’s brother Sean (Image: Getty)
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Madeleine McCann’s younger brother Sean has earned selection to represent Scotland in swimming at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games this week. The 21‑year‑old will compete on the global stage on Thursday (July 23), hoping the experience will put him firmly on the pathway toward Team GB selection and ultimately a place in the pool at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Sean will compete alongside swimming great Duncan Scott, who has eight Olympic medals to his name, including two golds. Sean and his twin sister Amelie were just two years old when Madeleine went missing from her family’s holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in the Algarve in May 2007.

He began competing at the age of eight and went on to represent Scotland at the 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games in Trinidad and Tobago, racing in the 400m and 1500m freestyle. The youngster favours the longer‑distance events and has already competed in several major meets, including the 2023 European Junior Open Water Championships in Corfu.

Yet he admitted that when he was first introduced to the sport, he wasn’t keen on getting in the water at all. Writing a few years ago on the Joe Humphries Memorial Trust website, he said: “I started competitive sport when I was eight, joining Charnwood triathlon club.

“It was here that I discovered my passion for swimming and I joined Loughborough Town swimming club to increase the number of swim sessions I did per week. At the age of ten, I was selected to swim at City of Leicester and I have since gone on to win multiple county titles as well as becoming regional and National champion in my age group.

Sean is eyeing a place in Team GB for the 2028 Olympics. (Image: Getty)

“In order to have achieved this, I have had to remain extremely dedicated, getting up at 4am multiple mornings each week to train, since the age of 11. I train nine times a week in the pool, as well as three gym sessions, totalling over 20 hours of training per week. I’m aiming to compete at the 2026 Commonwealth Games and also the 2028 Olympics in LA.

It remains unclear whether Sean’s parents, Kate and Gerry, will attend the 11‑day event which will take place at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre on Thursday.

Almost 20 years on, Madeleine remains missing after disappearing just days before her fourth birthday. Kate and Gerry have since dedicated their lives to the search for their daughter, who would now be in her early‑20s.

The Metropolitan Police’s investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance has remained active since 2011. In 2022, German authorities named Christian Brueckner as the prime suspect in the case