Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Archie Goodburn Reaches Commonwealth Final While Campaigning for Better Brain Cancer Care

The Scottish swimmer used his appearance in Glasgow to press for more research funding and a UK national lead on brain cancer to improve outcomes for young patients.

Overview

  • Goodburn was diagnosed in 2024 with three low-grade, inoperable brain tumours that surgeons could not remove and was told his life expectancy was likely shortened.
  • He secured access to the targeted drug vorasidenib, which clinicians say has slowed tumour growth and postponed the need for chemotherapy so he could keep training and competing.
  • Goodburn qualified for and raced in the men’s 50m breaststroke final at the Commonwealth Games, finishing equal-seventh in a race on Monday that drew a sustained standing ovation and left him emotional afterwards.
  • After the final he delivered a public plea for stronger brain cancer research and urged the UK government to appoint a national brain cancer lead to improve treatment access for people under 40.
  • Beyond the pool, Goodburn recently graduated from the University of Edinburgh with a first in chemical engineering and is using his profile to press for policy change that could speed wider access to new treatments.