Chalmers' baby news joy is 'a beautiful thing'

One of Guernsey's top athletes Alastair Chalmers, is set for a momentous 2026 as he prepares to become a dad for the first time alongside training for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

The 25-year-old said it would be a "dream" to get a medal and "walk around the track with his baby".

It follows the pregnancy announcement with his partner Ellie Bell on social media on 29 December 2025, which he described as "a beautiful thing".

Chalmers became Guernsey's first athletics medallist at the Commonwealth Games when he won bronze in Birmingham in 2022 and made his Olympic debut at Paris 2024.

"A dream of mine would be to get a medal, win the Commonwealth Games or the Europeans, and to walk around the track with the baby. I mean, that would be incredible," Chalmers said.

But he admitted a lot can happen between now and then.

On how he'll balance juggling his athletics career with a newborn, he said it would be "hard work", but was equally "exciting":

"My partner's so maternal, she loves looking after babies, so she's going to be a great mother. I train in the morning usually until around lunchtime, so I'll be able to help her out more than if I worked a proper job luckily."

He accepted there could be "difficult moments", but has taken inspiration from fellow father-athletes, adding one of his good friends in Wales had a baby and "then went and won the world indoors and the European indoors".

Chalmers added: "It's just about your support system, like having family and friends around to help".

On his training regime, to be balanced around the new baby, Chalmers said he woke up "most mornings sore and tired".

"I'm on my back after a session for half an hour, kind of yelling because my hamstrings are on fire.

"I've had someone walk past and say, 'Do you want me to call an ambulance?' because I mean, we're lying on our backs completely dead."

He admitted to waking up in the morning, looking outside at the weather, knowing "you've got to go do some horrendous session".

"It's all hard work which makes us the best", he said.

To fuel such sessions, he said he consumed lots of protein and carbohydrates, doesn't drink too much alcohol and does a lot of work in the gym to prevent injuries.

"It takes a lot and we've got to stay healthy to avoid getting ill or injured."

The dad-to-be said, on coping with the pressure of events, he's luckily always been quite strong-minded:

"I've used the crowd and the pressure to actually accelerate my performance and to do better. I work too hard to go mess it up on the start line," he said.

Chalmers reflected he was around 18 when he first realised his desire to pursue athletics as a career.

"It's not down to luck, but it's how hard you work and your genetics and the right time, right place, the groups you join and your life decisions too."

He hoped winning Guernsey's first ever Commonwealth Games medal at Birmingham 2022, for track and field would inspire younger generations.

"There was a huge reception for that and hopefully kids can look up to that.

"It's not like 'you're from Guernsey and there's no chance of succeeding and getting to the top level', there is.

"It's how you get nurtured and the hard work you put in and how driven you are and so it's lovely to have that here."

The five-time British champion and Olympic and World Championship semi-finalist will likely be one of Guernsey's 20 competitors in Glasgow this summer.

The Commonwealth Games is the highest international stage on which Guernsey competes in its own right.

Chalmers said he had always wanted to have a family and hoped to "bring the baby along to these amazing experiences".

Follow BBC Guernsey on X and Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].