Arabic version: أيونا أندرسون تحتفل بذهبية ظهر غلاسكو

According to ABC News, Iona Anderson won the women’s 100m backstroke gold at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, calling the Scottish host city a particularly meaningful setting for her first individual gold medal at a senior meet. The 20-year-old Australian finished ahead of Canadian veteran Kylie Masse by 0.06 seconds.

Anderson emerged as Australia’s leading backstroke swimmer at the Games after Kaylee McKeown withdrew with glandular fever. In the 200m backstroke, Anderson placed sixth, more than two seconds slower than her Australian trials time in June. She said she put that result behind her before the 100m final, where she kept her focus through a close finish.

Her family links made the Glasgow victory especially significant. Anderson’s mother’s family is from Grangemouth, while her father’s side is from Dumfries and Galloway. She was named after the island of Iona off Scotland’s west coast. During her victory lap, she found her grandmother Pam, who Anderson said was emotional and happy after the race.

Anderson said she preferred Glasgow to Victoria, which had originally been set to host the Games before the late change to the Scottish capital. Australia’s Dolphins collected five further gold medals and 14 medals in total on the night. Cam McEvoy won the 50m freestyle, Tim Hodge took the 100m backstroke S9 title, Kai Taylor helped Australia win the men’s 4x200m relay, and Lani Pallister claimed the women’s 1,500m gold.