The family of Madeleine McCann cheered on her younger brother Sean as he swam in the Commonwealth Games today, some two decades after she vanished.
Sean McCann, 21, took to the pool in Glasgow for the 400m freestyle heats this morning in his major competition debut.
His parents Kate and Gerry and twin sister Amelie looked on proudly as they arrived early on Saturday morning to cheer on their son – and the rest of the Scotland team.
Sean hoped to use the home crowd behind him to progress to the final tonight, ahead of his other events later this week, the 800m and 1500m freestyle.
Almost two decades on from the infamous Portugal family holiday which saw Madeleine abducted, the McCann family’s unimaginable tragedy still haunts Sean and his twin sister, Amelie, wherever they go.
But today, the family could finally see themselves talked about for a different reason as their son’s remarkable story takes centre-stage.
Sean’s mother Kate has previously told how he ‘hated’ the water when he was first taken swimming – and yet he soon found his drive, attending up to nine two-hour training sessions every week, many requiring 4am starts.
Inspired by his sporting family – Kate and father Gerry even went on a run on their first date – Sean’s dedication has paid off as he sets his sights on success in his first major international meet.
Sean came fourth in his heat and was cheered on today by both parents, as well as his sister Amelie, who herself competes regularly in triathlons.
Amelie, Kate and Gerry McCann in the stands cheering on their son and brother Sean McCann at today’s Commonwealth Games swimming heats
The family sat with other Scottish fans as they supported Sean at a home Commonwealth Games
Scotland’s Sean McCann competes in the Men’s 400m Freestyle heats during the swimming event at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre in Glasgow
Sean McCann of Scotland goes through his final preparations before the race
He is the younger brother of missing Madeleine McCann and was in the room when she was abducted from her family’s holiday villa in Portugal in 2007
The elite distance swimmer is eligible to represent Scotland through his father, who was born in Glasgow.
This week a former member of Sean’s coaching team told the Daily Mail that the combination of a young man who was ‘really driven and never one to take the easiest route’, and parents who willed him on, had made him a powerhouse and his story an inspiration.
In his teenage years Sean’s parents would ferry him to training sessions at Braunstone Leisure Centre, a 20-minute drive from the family home in Rothley, Leicestershire, where he would clock up eight or nine two-hour swim sessions a week, plus two or three punishing gym workouts.
Kate and Gerry ‘encouraged their children, but didn’t push them’ said the insider, who coached Sean as a youngster.
He remembered the young man being focused on the Commonwealth Youth Games in Trinidad in 2023 and then deciding he wanted to race for Scotland and for GB in open-water events – so for swimming competitively he changed his nationality to Scottish.
‘For the Commonwealth Games, I was lucky enough to be at the trials in London when he was racing. It was great to watch him and talk to him between prep, to be a part of it and see his journey unfold,’ he said.
What a journey, too, for Sean, who is studying chemical engineering at Loughborough University – chosen for its unrivalled sports facilities.
Distance swimming is an unforgiving sport. Yet those who know Sean’s career describe a steady, determined progression, even during the pandemic lockdown when he would train out of the pool, at home with Amelie, who is also a keen swimmer.
Sean McCann, 21, after finishing fourth in his heat of the 400m freestyle – he will go later this week in the 800m and 1500m
McCann dives from the starting block at the beginning of his heat at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre
Amelie, Kate and Gerry McCann applaud as they watch the programme at Glasgow’s Commonwealth Games on Saturday morning
Amelie, Kate and Gerry McCann in the stands at Tollcross International Swimming Centre in Glasgow ahead of Sean’s heat on Saturday morning
The family were in the stands early on Saturday to support the rest of Britain’s swimmers before their son takes to the pool
For almost two decades Kate and Gerry McCann have been known as the parents of missing Madeleine, (bottom right) the toddler who disappeared on a family holiday to Praia da Luz, Portugal, in May 2007 – now the family will be known for something else
In the 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games, he reached the finals of the 400m and 1500m freestyle, and has since qualified for the European Open Water Championships representing Great Britain.
Sean himself said this week that he was ‘very excited’ about the challenges ahead. ‘It’s the pinnacle really – of representing Scotland in the Commonwealth Games, and especially at a home games.
‘I’ve got lots of family up in Glasgow so that makes it even more special. I was there in 2014 watching as a kid, so to make it now, 12 years later, is really a full circle moment.
‘It’s my first senior games, so I’m just looking forward to be representing Scotland and doing my absolute best. I always tend to go out quite slow and build my way into a race. That’s just how I like to pace it.’
It’s quite the change from what Sean has been known for by many until now, solely for his close proximity to Madeleine’s disappearance.
He was, after all, in the same room when she was abducted from the family’s holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in 2007 when he was just two.
Although he might not remember the international fallout, both siblings have grown up in the shadow of the mystery surrounding their older sister, who would now be 23.
For Sean, and by extension his whole family, this is his opportunity to step into the light of something new.
