Manorama Yearbook Quiz: Who won the David Dixon Award in Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games?

• Scotland’s wheelchair racer Melanie Woods has been named the outstanding athlete of Glasgow 2026 after winning two gold medals and showing exceptional composure when her first victory was overturned.

• Woods was awarded the David Dixon Award after an extraordinary Commonwealth Games in which she won the women’s T54 1500m before adding gold in the T54 400m.

• Woods set a new Games record to triumph in Glasgow on July 29. But, it emerged the next day that Para-athletics authorities had decided the race should be held again following appeals surrounding a first-lap crash.

• Woods accepted the decision and remained respectful towards her competitors, officials and the appeals process.

• Less than 40 hours later, she returned to the track and won again. 

• Woods took the lead after 100 metres, was never headed and finished in 3:32.20, lowering the Games record she had set in the original race. 

• Ninety minutes later, she returned for the 400m heats and qualified fastest for the final. Woods then won the title the following evening to claim her second gold medal of the Games and complete a remarkable double on home soil. 

What is David Dixon Award?

• The David Dixon Award has never been decided by medal totals alone. It recognises what an athlete achieves, how they conduct themselves and what they contribute to their team.

• The David Dixon Award was established in Manchester 2002. 

• It is named after David Dixon, who served as honorary secretary of the Commonwealth Games Federation for 17 years. It is presented at the closing ceremony.

• Each Commonwealth Games Association is able to nominate one athlete through its Chef de Mission. 

• A panel from the Athletes’ Advisory Commission assesses the entries against sporting performance, fair play and contribution to the team, before its recommendation is approved by the Commonwealth Sport president.

• The award recognises the athlete judged by her peers to have best combined sporting performance, fair play and contribution to their team.

Previous winners of the award:

2002 - South African swimmer Natalie du Toit

2006 - Indian pistol shooter Samaresh Jung 

2010 - Jamaican triple jumper Trecia Smith

2014 - Welsh rhythmic gymnast Frankie Jones

2018 - New Zealand weightlifter David Liti

2022 - Singapore Table Tennis player Feng Tianwei.