Meet the gay track star whose K-pop dance fueled him into the Commonwealth Games final

Fans of athlete Seamus Derbyshire were watching closely to see what he might deliver both before and during his Commonwealth Games 400-meter hurdles heat on Wednesday night.

The 26-year-old, who is making his senior Games debut for Team England at Glasgow 2026, has become well known in track and field for showing sass on the start line when introduced to the crowd.

At the Scotstoun Stadium, Derbyshire proved once again that there is no separation between being an elite performer and being unapologetically yourself.

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After unveiling an iconic new intro moment, he won his heat in a time of 48.74 seconds, confirming his medal credentials for Friday’s final.

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Derbyshire’s time was the second-fastest overall in the qualifying round, just behind Nigeria’s Ezekiel Nathaniel, who won his heat in 48.69 seconds.

Two more athletes, Jake Minshull and Alastair Chalmers, also ran sub-49-second races.

‘Magnetic’ new routine and strong run for Seamus Derbyshire

Derbyshire’s introduction didn’t disappoint. As the camera panned to him, he performed a choreographed K-pop dance move inspired by the song “Magnetic” by South Korean girl group ILLIT.

He later told the England Athletics social media team that he would sum up his Games experience so far in the title of a different K-pop song, by KATSEYE — “Gnarly.”

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A post shared by England Athletics (@englandathletics)

Last year, the hurdler went viral after clips of his hair toss intro, inspired by the movie “Wicked,” were shared across social media. He ended up producing that on the international stage, in the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan.

For Derbyshire, busting a move on the track is his way of expressing himself. The Loughborough-based runner continues to build a following online for bringing his whole self to his sport.

Shortly after securing his place in the Commonwealth Games final, he posted a jubilant video on his own TikTok account, set to “Yeah” by Charli xcx, showing him dancing and reveling in the fact that he will be going all out for a medal in Glasgow on Friday.

@seamusderby made my first commonwealth games final !! #commonwealthgames ♬ Yeah – Charli xcx

Seamus Derbyshire ‘never expected to be a role model’

Derbyshire’s confidence is infectious, and as the only out gay man competing in track and field at these Commonwealth Games, the story of how he unlocked his potential by embracing his queerness is important.

He spoke about his journey in a feature for Outsports last year, and in a new interview with Loughborough University published shortly before the Games, he thanked his family for helping him navigate the challenges of elite sports as a young gay man.

“It’s been difficult, I guess, in certain circumstances,” Derbyshire said. “I never changed who I was with my parents; I just eventually felt comfortable enough to say, ‘this is who I am’, knowing, deep down, that they would always accept me, love me, and still be my biggest supporters.”

However, stepping onto the track felt very different early in his career.

“In sport, it’s one of those more male-dominated areas — it’s quite a hypermasculine environment,” he said. “I didn’t feel as comfortable expressing myself.

“I tried to be ‘one of the boys’, as much as young gay me could be, which probably wasn’t that well-hidden! It’s not as easy to be yourself when it doesn’t fit into the mold of what people are expecting of you.”

@lborosport ICYMI: More than a race. A journey. Loughborough alum Seamus Derbyshire reflects on his journey to the Games, sharing how embracing his authentic self has shaped both his life and performances on the track Watch Seamus begin his @glasgow_2026 campaign this morning as he lines up in the Men's 400m Hurdles heats at the Scotstoun Stadium #Lboro2Glasgow ♬ original sound – Loughborough Sport

Trying to conform to a stereotype weighed heavily on Derbyshire. Eventually, he decided he needed a change. He sat down with his coach to reset his approach to track, placing his happiness and mental well-being first.

“My main thing was ‘can I express the true version of myself’,” he said. “That’s when I’m having the most fun; I want to be authentic and take that weight off my shoulders — I just wanted to be myself. Crazily, that coincided with a really big boost in my performances.”

He set a personal best time of 48.42s in June last year, and now he has a great opportunity to make the podium at a major international meet.

Competing in Glasgow also represents a full-circle milestone. Nine years ago, as a teenager, Derbyshire won a silver medal at the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games in the Bahamas.

Returning to the Commonwealth stage as a senior athlete — and as a confident out gay man — is a moment he does not take for granted.

He knows that by being visible and true to himself, he is providing the kind of representation he wished he had seen when he was starting out.

“I never expected to be a role model, but I think honestly, getting picked for the Commonwealth Games as a senior made me realise how cool maybe the younger version of myself would find me,” Derbyshire said.

“17-year-old Seamus, if he was watching athletics and saw current me now, he’d think ‘he seems really cool and a nice person. Maybe I could be like that one day.'”

@seamusderby this was a labour of love #basicallywhatwegonnadoisdance ♬ Sneakernight – Single Version – Vanessa Hudgens

Friday’s final will certainly be tough, but if anyone is going to rise to the occasion, it’s the hurdler from Staffordshire who’s no longer shy to show off his personality.

“Getting to compete at the Games, I get to express myself and show what I do best,” Derbyshire said ahead of the competition.

“It’s almost performing in front of a crowd in a way I didn’t expect when I was younger. I’m looking forward to putting my best foot forward out there.”

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