Hope Gordon completed a “full circle moment” after realising her dream of competing in the Commonwealth Games, just a short distance away from her old bed in Yorkhill Children’s Hospital.
The 31-year-old became the first female to compete in Para-powerlifting for Scotland, finishing ninth in the heavyweight category at the SEC Armadillo.
The closing ceremony of the Games will be a poignant moment for her, falling on the 10th anniversary of her having her left leg amputated after nine years of treatment.
Her journey was all the more remarkable, winning two goals medals in her usual sport of Para-Canoeing 10 days before the Games, then fighting off food poisoning before competing.
“It was incredible,” said Gordon. “My mum, dad and my brother, they’re the ones that knew how tough it was when I was in Yorkhill and I guess there’s not many people who knew what was going on behind those hospital doors.
“So, for all of us to have that experience where we’re in the Armadillo to compete, or my family to spectate, and we can see Yorkhill right beside it, it was incredible.”
Gordon’s two gold medals at the Paracanoe World Cup in Montreal, Canada served as unusual preparation for Glasgow 2026.
And Gordon – who also previously became Great Britain’s first ever female para Nordic skier – has little time to relax, with her biggest event this year coming next month at the World Championships in Poland when she returns to Paracanoeing.
“In lots of ways I’ve got to thank Australia for tapping out, because if it was in Australia I wouldn’t have been able to be here,” said Gordon of Scotland’s late decision to host the Games.
“I’m definitely not used to walking out on a stage anywhere, never mind one in front of thousands of screaming Scotland fans.”
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