Ranked No.1 in the world, boasting a best time this season more than a second quicker than her nearest rival, and having recorded the fastest time in the heats and the semi-finals, expectations across Scotland were clear as Evans lined up for the Women’s 100m Breaststroke final.

But, having suffered the devastation of failing to qualify for the Singapore 2025 World Championship final when similarly tipped for a medal in her favoured event, the nerves were palpable as the 23-year-old stepped up to the block.

The first 50m did little to quell those fears. Behind the in-form Aimee Canny from the moment the swimmers broke the water, Evans was still lagging in the South African’s slipstream as the race entered its final stages.

But, fuelled by the roars of the packed arena, Evans found a burst when it really mattered, even if she remained unsure how.

Gold medalist Angharad Evans of Team Scotland poses for a photo during the Women's 100m Breaststroke Medal Ceremony on day three of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games

Photography Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

“My body's just been so tense for two days," Evans said. "That was my worry in the last 25m, that my body couldn't quite keep up with the result that I wanted.

“You kind of just shut your eyes for the last five metres and hope and pray you touch the wall first.”

While the time of one minute 06.07 seconds was more than a second off her personal best, Evans could not care less.

“I left everything in that pool, and Scotland was there to see it,” the new champion said. “It was a very proud moment for me to get over that fear.”

‘Like the Springboks’ says triple-seeking Coetze

Pieter Coetze of Team South Africa celebrates after winning the gold medal during the Men's 200m Backstroke Final on day three of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games

Photography Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

It is two down, one to go for Pieter Coetze as the increasingly invincible-looking South African eyes up a Commonwealth hat-trick.

A day after he flew to 50m Backstroke gold, the 22-year-old was ahead by more than a body-length at the halfway stage of the 200m.

And the gap just got bigger, as he pulled away to finish a vast 2.22 seconds clear in a Commonwealth Games record time of 1:54.22. Next up, the 100m Backstroke.

“We want to be like the Springboks,” Coetze said, referencing his nation's world champion men's rugby union side, as he laid out plans to raise the status of South African swimming.

Little more than 30 minutes later it was Lani Pallister’s turn to show similar supremacy. With the 400m gold already in her back pocket, the Australian was utterly untouchable in the Women’s 1500m Freestyle.

In the first running of this distance at a Commonwealth Games, Pallister secured victory 17.94 seconds clear of teammate Erika Fairweather, with Molly Walker completing the second Australian sweep of the night.

The first came in the Men’s 50 Freestyle. A race in which sprint superstar Cam McEvoy proved he remains a class apart.

In an event habitually decided by a whisker or two, the Australian’s winning time of 20.97 seconds was a Games record and just five-hundredths-of-a-second off his own world's best time.

But perhaps even more impressively he was 0.47 seconds ahead of teammate Flynn Southam. Jamie Jack completed the Australian 1-2-3.

Liendo grabs gold before Aussies surge again

The evening had kicked off with a pair of defending champions showcasing their enduring excellence.

First, England’s Alice Tai grabbed a third successive Women’s 100m Backstroke S9 title before Australia’s Timothy Hodge repeated his Men’s 100m Backstroke S9 success from Birmingham 2022.

Meanwhile, four years after bursting onto the international scene, Josh Liendo was back at it in a Commonwealth Games pool. But the Canadian was made to work hard for his second successive Men’s 100m Butterfly gold.

Electric from the gun, Liendo was ahead throughout but ultimately only a perfectly timed touch secured the Canadian gold, one-hundredth-of-a-second ahead of Australian Matthew Temple.

Chasing a record-extending 20th Commonwealth Games gold, Chad le Clos ended fifth, having never quite put himself in the medal mix.

With Women’s 100m backstroker Iona Alexandra Anderson (AUS) denying Canada’s Kylie Masse a fourth career Commonwealth Games gold, and Australia holding off England in the Men’s 4x200m Freestyle Final, the night ended with another rendition of the now familiar strains of Advance Australia Fair.

More Australian success is expected on Monday, with Sam Williamson chasing a Men’s Breaststroke sprint double. His biggest challenge is likely to come from South Africa’s Michael Houlie, the fastest qualifier, while England’s Adam Peaty-Ramsay will attempt to roll back the years.

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