Lani Pallister has consigned years of struggle and setbacks to history, opening Australia’s medal tally at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games with the first of six gold medals in the pool. Pallister’s dominant win in the 400m freestyle – the first final on the Games swimming program – was the perfect start to a Glasgow campaign that is expected to reap her a rich medal haul.
Mollie O’Callaghan later spearheaded a comfortable win in the women’s 4×100 freestyle relay, while the men’s 4×100 freestyle team rounded out the session by ruthlessly capturing Australia’s sixth gold medal. Kyle Chalmers closed clinically to ensure Australia smashed their Games record from Birmingham 2022, winning in 3:09.49.
But there was nothing predictable about Jenna Forrester’s shock gold medal in the 200m backstroke. Forrester claimed bronze in the 400m freestyle, stood on the podium alongside Pallister then had to quickly prepare for her next final.
Fifth at halfway and still fourth at the start of the last lap, Forrester stormed home. Forrester finished fourth in the event at the June trials and was only brought in when backstroke queen Kaylee McKeown had to pull out with glandular fever.
Like Pallister, it is Forrester’s first Commonwealth Games gold medal.
Pallister was the only 400m finalist to go under four minutes, clocking 3:59.56 to easily beat New Zealander Erika Fairweather. The 24-year-old led from the start and kicked clear late, finishing well ahead of Fairweather (4:02.65) and Forrester (4:05.25).
Pallister, the daughter of three-time Commonwealth Games medallist Janelle Elford, was outside the Games record of 3:58.06, set by Australian great Ariarne Titmus in Birmingham. It was also notably short of her 3:58.87 personal best, with Pallister admitting she wasn’t happy with the time.
But it represented a breakthrough win given Covid-19 cruelled her Paris Olympics campaign. Pallister qualified for the three distance freestyle events, but could only race in the 800m. The god-daughter of Australian sporting great Dawn Fraser also had a succession of health problems in 2021, including heart surgery and an eating disorder.
“Without all the ups and downs I wouldn’t be the person or the athlete that I am today, and I think that’s really special,” she said after the win. “I’m proud of the journey that I’ve been on and I wouldn’t change it for the world.
“I think it’s really shaped me into a good human.”
Pallister revealed her mother is on a plane back to Australia after working at an altitude training in Sierra Nevada with the national open water swim team. “It’s amazing. I’m so fortunate that my mum has taken me the whole way through and kind of shown me the ropes, and Dawn as well,” she said.
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Pallister is also favourite to win the 800m and 1500m freestyle, and will also contest the 200m freestyle and the 4x200m freestyle relay. “The first event of the Games is always one to set the tone, so I’m happy that I can do that for the whole team,” she said.
Para swimmer Jenna Jones claimed Australia’s second gold, taking out the S13 100m freestyle on Saturday morning (AEST), before Forrester’s big upset.
“I did not expect that to happen tonight – I am so over the moon,” Forrester said. “I didn’t really have much expectation going into the 400 free or the 200 backstroke, so I’m really happy with how that went.”
Australian William Petric qualified fastest in the 200m medley, but was fourth in the final as Scottish legend Duncan Scott had the crowd roaring with the host nation’s first gold.
Alex Perkins was the fastest semi-finalist in the 50m butterfly, while fellow Australians Sam Williamson and Zac Stubblety-Cook reached their day-two 100m breaststroke final.
