Evans steps out of shadows into spotlight with Scotland's fourth gold

[Reuters]

Angharad Evans was overlooked before these Commonwealth Games.

She wasn't being talked about and that was a mistake, one of her team-mates said. Turns out Duncan Scott knows a bit about swimming...

Scotland's most decorated Games has 14 medals of his own, but Evans now has her first after edging out her rivals in 100m breaststroke.

Amid febrile scenes at Tollcross, the 23-year-old held off Aimee Canny of South Africa down the stretch to earn the hosts' fourth gold in three days.

"Touching the wall, hearing that crowd, then the roar when I was on the podium was just... you can't even dream of moments like that. It was unreal," Evans - clutching a special golden version of Games mascot Finnie - told BBC Sport Scotland.

"I was holding it together until I saw my family and that was just such an emotional moment. It will be with me for the rest of my life.

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Given Evans qualified fastest - and fastest by a distance - any pre-Games ignorance had already evaporated by the time she strode out into this clammy, claustrophic cauldron of noise on Sunday.

The Cambridge-born athlete could have represented England or Wales through her parents but, after choosing to train at the University of Stirling upon her return from studying in the United States, she opted for Scotland.

And the noise that greeted her before - and carried her through - her race was rich reward for that decision.

As Evans' impressive nails - adorned with Saltires, the T of a well-known lager brand, Nessie, and the words 'Irn Bru' - sliced through the water, the crowd grew louder and louder, culminating in a huge wave of noise when she touched the wall.

Afterwards, she confessed to wondering during the race why she didn't feel more stressed but also thanks the Scottish fans for helping her during the tickly bit.

"It's not the biggest crowd I've competed in front of, but it's the loudest and the most passionate," added Evans, who was sixth in this event at the Paris Olympics. "I felt their energy and love especially in the last five metres when it hurt.

"I had the choice of England, Wales or Scotland but Scotland felt right, it felt like home. They made me the athlete I am today and I dreamed of getting a gold and having the crowd roar and this is that but 100 times bigger."

Alarmingly for her rivals, Evans' main event is still to come. The 200m on Wednesday was considered pre-meet a more likely medal prospect for her.

So could she find herself revelling in the Tollcross atmosphere once more?

"I don't think you can top how that felt tonight but we'll see how it goes," she said.

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