Zac Shaw dedicates Commonwealth gold to his mum

Macular Society patron and sprinter Zac Shaw has dedicated what he calls the "highlight of his career" to his late mum after winning his first individual international gold medal at the Commonwealth Games.

The 30-year-old claimed victory in the T12 100m in a time of 10.89 seconds at the Glasgow games.

Zac, who was diagnosed with Stargardt at 13, had written "Gold for you Mum", on the underside of his bib, which he displayed as he celebrated his victory over silver medallist Masala Makutu of South Africa and Canada's George Quarcoo, who took bronze.

A moment for mum 

“I wanted to write something for her,” he said. “I wasn't sure whether it was going to be something I'd show or something I'd just keep close to me to feel her presence with me.

“But when it actually came to it, I wrote it down on the bib after the heats. I didn't think about it between then and crossing the line. It was only after crossing the line that I remembered.”

He added: “That was the one thing that filled my heart, knowing that long into the future, long after I'm not here, that picture will last forever. So I'm happy now that there's a moment for my mum that will be there for eternity.”

Career highlight 

Despite dealing with the grief of losing his mum who was one of his biggest supporters, Zac said he has worked hard over the last year towards this significant achievement.

“It's probably the highlight of my career,” he said. “I think I've just worked really hard for this over the past year, but also in the years leading up in my career to this one moment.

“It's a moment I've dreamt of, so for it to happen was a really special moment.”

More than a medal 

Zac, who won Paralympic silver in the mixed 4x100m relay and bronze in the T12 100m in Paris in 2024, but he said his expectations for this race were different.

“It was probably the only time in my career I've ever gone into a race with gold being the only option for me. If it felt like anything other than winning, I would have been really disappointed. That's the first time I've ever had that feeling.”

He added: “I was dealing with grief. So, I think that's why there was more than just achievement attached to it.”

Talking about the race itself, Zac said that despite it being one of the worst starts he’d had all season, his confidence carried him through.

He said: “It didn't play too much on my mind because I really trusted that once I got later in the race, I'd have enough speed to run people down.”

Turning sight loss into a positive

Zac has previously said his motivation to start running was just to make a positive out of having a disability. He said: “I wanted to be able to look at having a disability, and say, “I’m glad I have a disability, because of this.”

Now, he says, his journey has been all about confidence.

“Firstly, I would say that a journey through sight loss doesn't have to involve winning a Commonwealth gold medal. But, I find that with sight loss confidence is the biggest thing. That doesn't always mean confidence to do things by yourself. It means having the confidence to ask somebody for help. If you want to go to a running club, asking somebody if they could help guide you."

Being inspired

Zac also shared the importance of role models, which is what inspired him to start running in the first place. 

He added: "I also think it's important to have role models and people to look up to because when I first lost my sight, it was officially Paralympians like, Libby Clegg who really inspired me - not just to get into sport, but just to get outside the house."