Brain cancer does not dim Goodburn’s Glasgow podium dreams

Glasgow 2026 is still more than a month away but swimmer Archie Goodburn is already getting goosebumps.

Partly because her battle against terminal brain cancer has taken a positive turn and partly because she can already imagine walking into the Commonwealth pool not only to represent her country but to deliver a remarkable medal in the 50m breaststroke.

“This will be the proudest moment of my entire life,” said the 24-year-old of a potential podium spot.

“I’ll be in perfect bits and I have so many people to thank. I’m actually crying just thinking about it now.”

Little surprise. This is truly a remarkable young man. A remarkable athlete whose life has been cut short by an incurable brain tumor but who still broke his own Scottish 50m breaststroke record after undergoing life-changing treatment in a new drug program he hopes can help others.

“A personal best post-diagnosis is something that if you had told me in that consulting room in May 2024, I would have had a hard time believing,” he explained.

“I’m working my socks off and going into these games I’m in the best shape of my life.

“The number of times I swam was enough to win a medal at every other Commonwealth Games in history and even though it was one of the faster Games, I definitely set my sights on that podium.”

Which is when the hair on the arm starts to rise.

“I get goosebumps thinking about it,” he added. “I’ve matured a lot in the last four years (since Birmingham 2022) and a lot of that has to do with taking a hard reality check on my diagnosis and what’s important.

“Sometimes swimming seems less important than other things, but really we heal and we go through hard things so we can do fun things. I remind myself of those moments and I start to feel like a little kid.”

His current treatment was not officially licensed at the time Goodburn offered it An emotional BBC interview a year ago.

The power of her story helped convey a message of hope in the fight against brain cancer, and she was a powerful voice in the campaign to bring the drug to market.

His own progress has been encouraging. Tumors are inoperable but their growth has slowed.

“It shows what is possible when the UK government really steps up and does everything it can to get medicines approved as quickly as possible,” he said.

“After our last chat, the drug we discussed was approved and thanks to that, I was able to return to training and produce some of the best performances of my life.

“I also recently graduated first class from university (chemical engineering), so I owe a lot of thanks and maybe a bit of luck to a lot of people. I’m in a great place and really looking forward to the summer.”