When Victoria, Australia announced its withdrawal from hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games earlier this year, hundreds of Australian athletes were left reeling, their dreams of competing for glory on home soil dashed. But for 20-year-old backstroke specialist Iona Anderson, the last-minute relocation to Glasgow, Scotland has turned into a fairy tale run that blended career-first success with a long-awaited family reunion.
Named after the Scottish Inner Hebrides island of Iona, the rising swimming star stormed to her first senior individual international gold medal in the women’s 100m backstroke at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre on Sunday. Just two days later, she followed up the historic win with a silver medal in the 50m backstroke, cementing her status as one of Australia’s breakout talents of the Games.
Waiting to wrap Anderson in a celebratory hug immediately after her gold medal win was her grandmother Pam, who alongside Anderson’s grandfather lives in Grangemouth, Scotland, just 20 miles west of Glasgow. The moment, captured by Swimming Australia photographers, has become one of the most heartwarming images of the 2026 Commonwealth Games so far.
Speaking to BBC Scotland News after the win, Anderson joked about her grandmother’s overwhelming excitement: “I think my mum was having a heart attack worrying gran was going to get too excited watching it. It was really emotional – there weren’t a lot of words said when I went over, just a lot of emotion and a big hug.”
Anderson, who was born in Australia to parents with deep Scottish roots – her mother’s side of the family hails from Grangemouth, while her father’s relatives are from Dumfries and Galloway – said she carried extra pressure into the race because she wanted to perform well for the family members who rarely get to see her compete. “I was so psyched. I maybe put extra pressure on myself beforehand as I wanted to do them proud, but it was so great to hug her as I don’t get to do that often.”
This trip to Scotland marks only the fourth time Anderson has visited the country of her family’s origins, and it is just the second time many of her Scottish relatives have gotten to watch her race in person. Despite the limited number of visits, Anderson says she has always felt a deep connection to her Scottish heritage, even going so far as to paint her competition nails in a green and gold tartan design to celebrate the Games’ host nation. She also quipped that she has embraced local culinary traditions, saying “I do like black pudding and link sausages when here, they’re much better than what you get back home. I know they might be unhealthier too!”
Anderson joked to Australian media after her gold medal win that the switch to Glasgow turned out better than hosting the Games in her home state of Victoria would have been, noting that the close proximity of the cheering crowd to the pool at Tollcross gave her an extra burst of energy during her race. The young swimmer added that bouncing back from the high of winning gold to compete in the 50m backstroke heats just one day later was a surprising challenge. “It’s been a whirlwind of emotions,” she laughed. “My roommate got bronze in the 1,500m on Sunday [Molly Walker] and we kind of pinged off each other a bit – so getting to sleep was pretty hard. But it’s a great atmosphere and that gets you going.”
Anderson’s success comes as the Australian team continues to dominate the swimming competition at the 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, with multiple medal wins across individual and relay events in the first week of competition.