Sam Tolchard won gold in the men's bowls singles at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, beating Malaysia's Izzat Shameer Dzulkeple in a dramatic final. It is the first gold of the 37-year-old Torquay bowler's career, achieved at his fifth Commonwealth Games, and comes despite him balancing elite competition with running a self-employed electrician business in Devon.

Tolchard won the first set 8-0 before trailing 6-3 in the second, only to score a four-shot maximum in the penultimate end and clinch victory by one shot on the final end. He had previously taken silver in the pairs in 2022 and three bronze medals (pairs in 2014 and 2018, fours in 2022), and this win echoes his sister Sophie's gold at the 2014 Games. Tolchard spoke emotionally of his late father, Ray, a former first-class cricket umpire who died when Sam was 15, saying his parents' support made the achievement possible.