Angharad Evans secured Scotland’s third gold medal at the Commonwealth Games by winning the women’s 100 metres breaststroke final at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre. The 23-year-old swimmer finished with a time of 1:06.07, narrowly edging out South Africa’s Aimee Canny by 0.12 seconds.

Evans’ victory marked a historic achievement for Scotland, as it was the nation’s first Commonwealth gold in any breaststroke event since the stroke was introduced to the Games in 1930. It also ended a long medal drought for Scotland in the 100m breaststroke, with the last podium finish dating back to Kirsty Balfour’s bronze in 2006. The win was met with enthusiastic support from the home crowd, who played a significant role in boosting Evans’ confidence during the race.

The Cambridge-born swimmer acknowledged the challenges she faced leading up to the final, citing lingering doubts and nerves stemming from her performance at the 2025 World Championships in Singapore, where she placed 18th. “Singapore struck some fear in me and I didn’t realise how deep-rooted it was until it got close to the Commonwealth Games,” Evans said. She described her approach during the final moments of the race: “When it got to the last 5m, all I did was tell myself, ‘Just give it your all and have no regrets.’ That’s what I did.”

In preparing for the final, Evans also mentioned using distractions such as watching television to manage her nerves. After qualifying for the race, she offhandedly said she was planning to watch "Love Island" to ease her mind. Following her victory, she expressed gratitude toward the crowd, saying their support helped lift her spirits and overcome negative thoughts.

In addition to Evans’ success, English para-swimmer Alice Tai claimed gold in the women’s 100m backstroke S9 event, achieving a third consecutive Commonwealth title in the discipline. Tai’s achievement contributed to the broader swimming success seen at the Games, highlighting the strength of athletes across able-bodied and para-sport categories.

Evans’ performance and the overall swimming results underlined a strong showing for Scotland and the United Kingdom in the pool, demonstrating resilience and determination in the face of previous setbacks and intense competition.