C’wealth Games gold medallist returns to McDonald’s job

August 12, 2026 5:00 am

Summer Shaw won Scotland’s first judo medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, but just days later, the 22-year-old was back at work at McDonald’s.

Shaw, who won bronze in the women’s 48kg event, returned to her part-time job after the Games despite achieving a milestone she had dreamed of since she was eight.

“It’s so cool when it’s something you’ve dreamed of doing since you were eight years old – and suddenly you’re there,” Shaw told BBC Sport.

“To get there was crazy, and to come away with a medal was even better.”

Shaw’s unusual transition from the Commonwealth Games podium to a fast-food restaurant attracted attention after someone told her it was “crazy” to win a Commonwealth medal and then return to work.

She subsequently made a TikTok video about the experience while on a break at McDonald’s.

Shaw started the part-time job while studying for her A-levels and continues to work when she returns to her family home in Surrey. She usually works two or three shifts a week.

The biology student has recently been based largely in Birmingham, where she trains close to the British Judo Olympic and Paralympic National Training Centre in Walsall.

She said her employers had been flexible with her schedule, which has allowed her to balance work, studies and her sporting career.

“It’s hard to find jobs like it though that are flexible with your hours,” Shaw said.

Despite competing at the highest level, Shaw said financial security was not guaranteed for athletes in sports such as judo.

She receives an Athlete Performance Award from UK Sport and the National Lottery to help cover her living and training expenses, but said some competition costs still have to come from her own pocket.

“For example, the next competition I’ve paid for myself because it wasn’t funded by British Judo,” she said.

“Going to Peru for the Grand Prix has cost me quite a bit of money and then I’m not really getting that back from anywhere else.

“I’m also a normal person! Like, I want to save for a house.”

Shaw believes sponsorship could make a significant difference as she targets qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

She has also set up a GoFundMe page to help raise funds towards her Olympic ambitions.

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