Table of Contents
A swimmer from Birkenhead has helped Team England achieve a silver medal on the opening night of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
As reported by the Wirral Globe, 25-year-old Freya Anderson worked with teammates Leah Schlosshan, Freya Colbert and Eva Okaro in the 4x100m freestyle relay, finishing four seconds behind a strong Australian team at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre.
South Africa took bronze ahead of Scotland.
Anderson, who won Olympic relay gold at the Tokyo Games, said she was delighted to get off to a strong start ahead of the individual events later in the week.
"I feel good, and it's a nice way to start – especially doing a relay with the girls," she said. "To get off with a silver medal is really special and helps build momentum for the week. It was nice to blow the cobwebs away and hopefully keep building on it throughout the week."
More swimmers swam to victory at the Glasgow venue. Duncan Scott, who is from the city, claimed gold for Team Scotland in the 200m individual medley, his fourth Commonwealth achievement. He beat his Team GB teammate Tom Dean, who beat him in Tokyo.
Anderson said watching that race helped propel the English team onto the podium. "The crowd was really good," she added. "Even before we got out there, I was watching the other races and seeing Duncan win was amazing. Even though it might not be a home Games for us as such, it's nice to use it and pretend that it is."
Anderson's rapid rise in the pool started in her first Olympic Games in Tokyo at the age of 20, where she helped Team GB win gold in the mixed 4x100m medley relay before competing at her second Olympics in Paris in 2024. The Olympic champion has also won medals at the World and European Championships, reclaimed the British 100m freestyle title in 2025 to secure her place at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, where she reached the final of the women's 4x200m freestyle relay.
