For most athletes at these Commonwealth Games, winning a gold medal on the opening night could not be eclipsed. But when Scotland's Faye Rogers returned to the pool at Tollcross on Wednesday, she created another moment she will cherish just as much as standing on top of the podium last Friday.
The 23-year-old did not just win the S10 200 individual medley — she dominated it. A winning margin of just over 2.5 seconds is an eternity over four lengths of the pool.
When she stood on the block for her next event, however, it was an entirely different challenge, because Para-athlete Rogers raced the 200m butterfly. Ultimately she missed out on qualification for the final, but being in the heats was a remarkable achievement in itself.
Five years ago, that was her event, and she was good at it. She had qualified for the Team GB Olympic trials and was set to move to Aberdeen to study as well as train under Patrick Miley, father of Olympian Hannah.
But on the day she was due to leave home in Teesside to move to Scotland, Rogers was involved in a serious car accident on the way to training. She suffered a complex open fracture to her right arm, multiple dislocations and a severed ulnar nerve.
She was told she would never swim competitively again.
Yet 12 weeks later, Rogers was back in the pool doing rehab. By summer 2024 she was in Paris winning Paralympic gold. Perhaps the most remarkable thing of all is that she is quicker now than she was before the accident.
“I never in a million years thought that I could be faster,” Rogers, who is unable to straighten her right arm, tells . “Yes, it looks a bit different and there is definitely an impairment there. But I've worked harder, I'm fitter, I'm stronger.
“My message is just 'don't let anyone tell you what you can and can't do'. We're all different. We've all got our own stuff. But I think anything is totally doable if you put your mind to it.”
Not many Para-athletes have done what Rogers has. It was last year that she resolved to put her “big girl pants on” and act upon a notion she'd had for a while to test where she was in the 200m fly. The first time she swam it, she realised she was only just a fraction shy of her pre-accident best.
With that, her mind was made up. She spoke to the selectors and it was agreed that, as long as three other athletes did not post faster times, she could compete at the Commonwealths. They did not, and Rogers was in.
Before the heats, she said she had found out a couple of weeks ago and had been excited ever since.
“I found out a couple of weeks ago and I've been so, so excited ever since,” said the Edinburgh University student before the heats.
“There's no pressure. I think it's such a privilege to have the opportunity to stand up there and and to show other people with impairments that, no matter what you are told, and no matter what gets thrown at you, like there's a way through it.
“We quite often get told we can't. And this is my way of proving that we can.”
How did Rogers reach this stage?
Five years ago, Rogers was on track to pursue the 200m butterfly at the highest level. She had qualified for the Team GB Olympic trials and was preparing to move to Aberdeen to study and train under Patrick Miley, the father of Olympian Hannah.
That path changed on the day she was due to leave Teesside for Scotland, when she was involved in a serious car accident on the way to training. Her injuries included a complex open fracture to her right arm, multiple dislocations and a severed ulnar nerve.
She was told she would never swim competitively again, but she returned to the pool 12 weeks later for rehabilitation. By summer 2024, she had gone on to win Paralympic gold in Paris.
Why was the 200m butterfly so significant?
The 200m butterfly was Rogers' event before her accident, and returning to it represented a major personal milestone. When she first tested the swim last year, she found she was only a fraction shy of her pre-accident best, which convinced her to pursue the opportunity to race it again.
Selectors agreed she could compete at the Commonwealths if three other athletes did not post faster times. They did not, allowing her to take part in the heats at Tollcross on Wednesday.
What did Rogers say about the experience?
Rogers said she had been excited for weeks after learning she would be able to compete. She described the chance to race as a privilege and said she wanted to show others with impairments that there is a way through setbacks.
She said her story was intended to challenge the idea that people with impairments cannot achieve what they are told is impossible.
Key Facts
- Faye Rogers, 23, won the S10 200 individual medley on the opening night before returning for the 200m butterfly heats at Tollcross on Wednesday.
- She missed out on qualification for the final, but taking part in the heats was a major achievement.
- Rogers suffered a serious car accident on the day she was due to move from Teesside to Aberdeen, leaving her with a complex open fracture to her right arm, multiple dislocations and a severed ulnar nerve.
- She returned to the pool 12 weeks later, won Paralympic gold in Paris in summer 2024 and is now faster than before the accident.
- She said: “don't let anyone tell you what you can and can't do” and “There's a way through it.”
