Scroll down to see the medal tally after the first day of the Commonwealth Games.
Glasgow: Gina Forster wasn’t aiming to swim the women’s 200m backstroke at these Commonwealth Games.
She originally missed out on a place in the event after finishing fourth at the Australian trials last month, and was given a late call-up when reigning champion Kelly McKeon had to withdraw with glandular fever.
And yet, on Saturday morning (AEST) she found herself with a gold medal after stunning the field with a 2:08.17 swim – her second medal of the night after claiming bronze in the 400m freestyle just 50 minutes earlier.
“I didn’t expect it to happen tonight. I’m so over the moon,” Forster said.
“I didn’t really expect much going into the 400m free or the 200m backstroke, so I’m really happy with how it went… I really went into tonight with a positive attitude, and I felt like I had nothing to lose.”
McKeon has dominated the event at every major meet since the Tokyo Olympics. Forrester has only raced internationally in the 200m backstroke at the 2023 World Championships, when she finished 10th.
After tossing up whether she should start at all, given that she thought she had a better chance in the 400 meters earlier in the night, she was excited she decided to go for it.
“I wasn’t sure I was going to do the 200-meter backstroke because I thought I had a better shot in the 400-meter freestyle. But I talked to my coach, and we just thought it was a great opportunity.”
“And I realized I couldn’t say no to swimming at the Commonwealth Games because it’s so awesome. So yeah, I decided to do it, and I’m over the moon.”
It was a sensational finish from Forster, who was fifth at the race’s halfway point – a position he had improved to fourth by the time he turned the final 50 metres.
“I talked to my coach. [Dean Boxall]and he said I had a very even split, and a lot of people said ‘you were really far behind at the 100m turn’,” Forrester said.
“I wasn’t really sure where I was in the field, but at the 100-meter mark I saw a sneak, and I was like, ‘Wow, I’m really far behind.’
“So that endurance work really comes into play. It’s more about seeing if I can catch. I don’t always, but tonight I did.”
Forrester is now $30,000 richer thanks to Hancock Prospecting’s medal bonuses for Australian swimmers – $20,000 for winning gold and $10,000 for bronze.
Her mother Louisa, who battled cancer two years ago, was not poolside Friday night. She was running an ultramarathon in Kyrgyzstan, but Forrester said that was what inspired her to fight.
“He’s definitely the toughest person I know, and he’s probably my No. 1 inspiration,” Forster said.
“Having a mother like that, even though she’s really tough herself, she’s always there for me, and I always know that no matter what I end up with, she’ll always be proud of me.”
Forrester still has the 200m and 400m individual medley to come, and said she was raising her sights after her results on day one.
“I think I just need to approach the rest of my swims with that mindset,” she said.
“Just having a positive attitude and not putting too much pressure on myself because I think that’s when I get the best out of myself.”
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Billy Adder is a sports reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect through X. or E-mail
