Commonwealth Games backstroker Iona Anderson transforms from understudy to lead role

West Australian backstroker Iona Anderson has transformed from understudy into lead role for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, which start next Friday. Australian Dolphins’ teammate Kaylee McKeown, the reigning Olympic and Commonwealth backstroke champion over 100m and 200m, has withdrawn from the Glasgow Games due to a bout of glandular fever. It makes the pathway to gold easier and tougher at the same time, given 20-year-old Anderson will now start favourite in her pet event, the 100m backstroke, as well as a big chance in both the 200m and 50m. Anderson pushed McKeown over the first 50m of the 100m race at last month’s Australian trials, before McKeown mowed down the field. Anderson was second in 58.60 to qualify for Glasgow and was also runner up to McKeown over 200m in a personal best of 2:07.59. She produced another PB of 27.33 seconds over 50m. The trials were a confident booster for Anderson, 20, who has been on a comeback trail from a back injury. A silver and bronze medallist at the Paris Olympics in the 4 x 100m medley and 4 x 100m mixed medley, she won gold at the 2024 Doha world championships in the 4 x 100m medley and silver in the 50m and 100m backstroke. “I was really happy that my back held up throughout the competition. Not that I thought it was going to play up or anything, but it was good that it did hold up, and I didn’t have any issues with it, so that was a good sign,” she told The Sunday Times. “The season’s definitely been interesting. It’s about finding my footing again with racing. “Each comp has brought its different challenges in that sense, and getting myself back into that race mindset and just getting through all my processes again. So it was nice to see that spark come back at trials and everything to fit into place. “In training we’ve been working on the 200 a bit, and it’s just.. it was really nice just to see all the pieces fall together and it all slot nicely, and just execute a great race. “I’m building confidence in that distance, that’s something that I haven’t really had in the past. I’m excited to see where that takes me. “They go hand in hand, the 200 helps 100, the 100 helps the 200. I’ve got some good speed that I like to utilise in the 200 which really plays in my favour for the 100, but then the 200 also helps with that aerobic stability and endurance, which helps the 100.” Glasgow will mark Anderson’s first Commonwealth Games appearance. “I’m really excited. I’ve had my sights set on qualifying for this team for a while now, especially when I heard it got announced that it was in Glasgow, because my family’s all Scottish, so I’ll get to go home and like race in front of them. My grandparents are going to come watch is going to be something really special,” she said. During her rehabilitation, Anderson spent time with the swim team at the University of Stirling in Scotland under the guidance of former West Australian Institute of Sport coach Ben Higson. “I saw it as a good opportunity to go back and just get some different experience with a very experienced squad, like they have quite a lot of Olympians over there,” she said. “So just to train with some other backstrokers as well ... and. I got to time and see my family as well.” She has prepared for Glasgow - and the Pan Pacs shortly after - under the new head swimming coach at WAIS Ian Hulme. “He’s a different coach. He has some different philosophies to Ben. We are doing a bit of a different training model now, which I am enjoying. It’s good to switch it, keep it interesting, and I’m liking how I’m performing, I’m excited to see where that takes me,” Anderson said. “I put a lot of pressure on myself to perform at trials, but I feel like having made the team, I feel like that’s probably like that was the biggest stepping stone for me. “I know there’s probably some expectations around me, but I not really like reading into those. I’m just going to be trying to be performing at my best and having some fun and seeing what I can do, I think that’s the best way to approach racing.”

Commonwealth Games backstroker Iona Anderson transforms from understudy to lead role

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