Katie Shanahan is relishing every moment of the Commonwealth Games in her home city of Glasgow, after racing at the Tollcross Swimming Centre where she trained for eight years. The 22-year-old swimmer finished sixth in the women's 100m backstroke on Sunday night, following her silver medal in the 200m earlier in the meet.
Home Crowd Boost
Shanahan, who earned bronze medals at Birmingham 2022, produced a strong performance to split Australian duo Jenna Forrester and Hannah Fredericks, claiming her third Commonwealth medal overall. She described the experience as deeply special. "It's really, really special," she said. "I've got quite a home Games going on here. I'm from Glasgow and I've trained in this pool for about eight years, so I know it quite well. It's been really special to train here and now race here. It's almost cool being back."
Looking Ahead
In the 100m backstroke, Iona Anderson of Australia took the title ahead of five-time Olympic medallist Kylie Masse, while Olivia Nel of South Africa edged Hannah Fredericks for bronze. Shanahan was not in medal contention but focused on positives. "I'm pretty happy with that," she added. "I knew that I was probably going to go out of the medals today, so I'm happy to have got another final under my belt and to have experienced that race. It was a lot of fun." She is already looking forward to next season, noting areas to improve, especially in the 100m distance. "I'm looking forward to getting into next season. We're still racing, but I'm most looking forward to getting back to work, especially for the 100m."
Thanks to National Lottery players, more than £33million is raised every week for good causes, supporting athletes like Shanahan at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.
