For a 22-year-old Scottish athlete who won the country a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games 2026, life returned to normal with her shifts at McDonald’s continuing. You can be at the peak one moment and then at the base the next. That’s how unpredictable life’s highs and lows can be. Judo competitor Summer Shaw shared a TikTok about her story, where she earned Scotland’s first judo medal at the international sporting event, and then returned to her part-time job at the eatery as a crew trainer.
At the games, Shaw competed against seven nations in the women’s 48 kg judo competition in Glasgow, Scotland on July 31, taking home a bronze behind Canada’s Heidi Quach (silver) and India’s Asmita Dey (gold).
But days later, she returned to her part-time job in Surrey, which she works to pay to travel to judo competitions, according to Kennedy News and Media. “I did have a co-worker say to me, ‘It’s crazy how you can be near the top of your game in a sport and then be working here,’ ” the athlete recalled. However, when she returned to work after her historic victory, one colleague did wonder about the trajectory. “In my opinion, I’m not quite there yet. There’s still a way to go.”
Because it wasn’t funded by British Judo, but, for example, the next competition I’ve paid for myself.
Shaw told BBC Sport that it was “very common” for athletes in sports like judo to have another source of income. Like, I want to save for a house,” she said. “So many sports that are smaller, like judo, it must be so common [to have another job],” she said.
Shaw is given what is called an ‘Athlete Performance Award’ (APA), a financial grant from UK Sport and the National Lottery that contributes towards her living and training costs. There are different grades of support, external that athletes receive, depending on their results and prospect of medal-winning performances. “The money I get [APA] covers my living expenses, which is a blessing and not to be taken for granted. 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! Shaw also put her experience in comparison to other athletes. “For me, it’s about having a job that is that flexible. It’s a bit of a balance of how much the athlete needs the money as opposed to when they should be resting.”