Commonwealth Games

Monday, July 27, 2026, 9:15 am

Iona Anderson won gold in Glasgow.

Some Australians are unhappy the Commonwealth Games are in Glasgow, not Victoria, but Iona Anderson is not one of them.

Anderson became Australia's top backstroke swimmer when Kaylee McKeown withdrew due to illness.

In the 200m, Anderson finished sixth, over two seconds slower than her time at the Australian trials.

But in the 100m, she won gold, beating Canadian veteran Kylie Masse.

Victoria Belando Nicholson was once a baby rescued from the water after falling from a refugee boat. Now she's a swimming bronze medalist.

Anderson won in the city of her ancestors, which made her happy.

Anderson said, 'For me, Glasgow is better than Victoria. Sorry.'

Anderson loves Scotland and has friends and family there, which made her win special.

Most of Anderson's family is from Scotland, on both her mom's and dad's sides.

Anderson was named after a small island in Scotland.

When Anderson won, she found her grandma Pam, who was very emotional.

'She was very happy and didn't say much,' Anderson said.

Anderson's grandma always sends her good luck messages, so it was special to see her after the race.

Anderson's win was the closest of the night for any Australian swimmer.

Other Australian swimmers also won gold, including Cam McEvoy and Lani Pallister.

Lani Pallister's win was by a very large margin, much bigger than Anderson's.

A younger Iona Anderson finished fifth in a past race.

Anderson said, 'I kept my focus and got my hand on the wall first.'

Anderson closed her eyes at the end of the race and hoped for the best.

The hardest part for Anderson is comparing herself to Kaylee McKeown.

McKeown has set a high standard for backstroke swimming.

Anderson didn't let her poor finish in the 200m bother her for long.

Anderson said, 'I know I can do better in the 200m, but I'm happy with my third-best swim ever.'

Anderson just moved on from her disappointment.

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