Sophia Hartley
BBC World Service in Glasgow

Image source, Getty Images

Swimming is one of the most gruelling sports at the Commonwealth Games but it can be even harder when faced with a chronic condition like endometriosis.

That’s the reality for English swimmer Freya Anderson, who has been navigating the challenges of balancing elite training with chronic pain for over 10 years.

“When I first started having periods, I just knew something was off," she told the BBC.

“None of my friends had struggles that I did. The severe pain, the bleeding. I actually went on hormonal contraception when I was 16, so quite young.”

Anderson didn’t get a diagnosis until just last year when she was at a training camp for the World Championships.

“I felt a relief but then you now have this long journey ahead of you, and you've just been diagnosed with a chronic health condition that has no cure.”

Endometriosis affects one in 10 women and those assigned female at birth from puberty to menopause, although the impact may be felt for life. In the UK, that’s over 1.5 million living with the condition.

Anderson was able to get surgery to remove the endometriosis in December 2025.

Anderson says it has helped but she still faces difficulties with the illness.

She has set up a Fast and Female initiative to educate and support young girls, and help them stay involved in sport.

“When I have bad flare-ups, I notice it on my skin, I notice it in my joints, like, I have knee problems, I have shoulder problems through swimming on my back. It’s kind of a lot to juggle."

Martin bounces backpublished at 19:48 BST 26 July

19:48 BST 26 July

Women's all-around final

Abi Martin of England looked crestfallen after the uneven bars but though not quite at her fluent best, has responded with a battling display on the beam, ending with a double-pike finish.

It's just 11.650 though, she's not going to be in contention heading to the floor.

After all those medal events, we've got the some semi-finals coming up in the pool now.

Lots of home nations interest in the women's 100m freestyle semi-finals, including England's Freya Anderson, Wales' Theodora Taylor and Scotland's Evelyn Davis.

Then we've got the men's 50m breaststroke semi-finals, with Adam Ramsay-Peaty returning to action.

Amankwaah stays in contentionpublished at 19:44 BST 26 July

19:44 BST 26 July

Women's all-around final

Image source, Getty Images

Ellie Cheetham puts on a show on the floor for the Scotland fans.

Her first big tumble ends with a spectacular bounce out of bounds on one leg but she recovers brilliantly to finish on a high, though she's only rewarded with a 10.550

England's Shantae-Eve Amankwaah remains in the podium hunt too after another solid showing on the beam from the 17-year-old, just the one penalty picked up and dismounting with a full-twisting somersault.

It's only a 12.200 for the youngster but she stays just behind Wales' Emily Roper in the medal chase.

Image source, Getty Images

Jerusalem rings out around Tollcross Swimming Centre as England's Alice Tai steps onto the podium to collect her gold medal after winning the women's S9 100m backstroke.

There will be a short break from the swimming now as we get through a few medal ceremonies.

Northern Ireland's Barry McClements will be handed his silver medal very shortly after his second-place finish in the men's S9 100m backstroke.

Roper stays in the racepublished at 19:38 BST 26 July

19:38 BST 26 July

Women's all-around final

Emily Roper of Wales wants to stay in this medal fight too.

That's a great showing on the beam - 12.550, well up on her qualifying mark and it puts some pressure on Ruby Evans her teammate on this particularly nerve-wracking apparatus.

Nigel Ringland
BBC Sport NI at Tollcross Swimming Centre

24 year-old Barry McClements has won the silver medal in the final of the men’s 100m backstroke S9 at Tollcross.

It’s Northern Ireland’s second medal of the Commonwealth Games after Bethany Firth took bronze last night in the women’s 100m freestyle S14.

McClements, who won the bronze four years ago in Birmingham, pushed Australia’s Timothy Hodge all the way to the touch, finishing in a time of 1:03.68, just 0.68 behind the Australian.

England's Edward Mildred was fastest in his semi-final and he won three relay medals at Birmingham 2022 - two silver, one bronze.

But he'll be going for an individual medal here.

South Africa's Chad le Clos became the most decorated male athlete in the history of the Commonwealth Games when he won a record 19th medal in the men's 4x100m freestyle relay on Friday. He is in lane eight.

Black makes her movepublished at 19:30 BST 26 July

19:30 BST 26 July

Women's all-around final

Canada's Ellie Black is first onto the beam and after fighting gravity a couple of times along the way, finishes with a flourish with two-and-a-half twists and just a tiny hop forward.

13.200 - she's so consistent. That's piled the pressure on her teammate Lia-Monica Fontaine, Ruby Evans and the rest.

Karen Pickering
Former GB world champion swimmer on BBC Radio 5 Live

There must be a huge amount of relief for that young lady. A lot of pressure on Angharad Evans as she came out fastest in the heats, fastest in the semi-finals.

But we know how different it is to actually deliver under pressure in a final, in a home games when the pressure is so high.

I hope this is the start of her flying in her career.

Richard Winton
BBC Sport Scotland at Tollcross International Swimming Centre

Angharad Evans was last to emerge into the arena but first to finish. But that was so much closer than we thought it might be. Aimee Canny of South Africa was with her all the way down the last 50m. Wow.

A fourth gold for Scotland.

Welsh gymnasts in the hunt for historic medalpublished at 19:26 BST 26 July

19:26 BST 26 July

Women's all-around final

Image source, Getty Images

After two of the four rotations it's a Canada one-two with Wales' Ruby Evans in third, 0.450 off top-spot with her best event, the floor, coming last.

Her teammate Emily Roper is another 0.350 back in fourth and with the struggles for England's Abi Martin and the Australians you feel like, just maybe, the medal monopoly of the big three nations, who have shared all 30 over the past 10 Games, might finally be broken...

Aimee Canny of South Africa hits the wall first after 50m, but Angharad Evans is closing in...

Off we go! Scotland's Angharad Evans goes in lane four...

She was over a second faster than anyone else in her semi-final.

Image source, TikTok

A wee moment for Angharad Evans' nails tonight...

Richard Winton
BBC Sport Scotland at Tollcross International Swimming Centre

Angharad Evans wasn't born in Scotland. Her parents weren't either. They're from England and Wales. She's from Cambridge and studied in the United States. So how did she end up representing Scotland?

After returning from the US, she opted to train at the University of Stirling and, before long, she'd become one of us.

But that perhaps didn't really hit home for her until she stepped out of the pool her and felt the love of the Glasgow crowd. You could see her stop, mouth 'wow' and a huge smile break across her face.

Lauren McCann
BBC Sport NI at SEC Centre

The decibel levels in the SEC have gone up a notch again for the bout between Pakistan's Rehman Sumama and India's Jadumani Singh Mandengbam.

It's been a ferocious first round with India and Pakistan fans alike getting well into this one.

Richard Winton
BBC Sport Scotland at Tollcross International Swimming Centre

He might have taken almost a minute more than everyone else to cover the two lengths, but what an ovation Antwahn Boyce-Vaughan of Barbados got as he finished the final few strokes of the men's 100m backstroke S9 event. Tremendous.