Commonwealth Games: Leah Schlosshan confident gap is closing on Australia after double silver success in Glasgow

The 21-year-old Leeds swimmer added a second Games silver to her collection after finishing second in the 4x100m freestyle relay and the 4x200m freestyle relay alongside Freya Anderson, Abbie Wood and Eva Okaro.

She also reached the finals of the 100m and 200m freestyle, finishing seventh and sixth respectively.

The former European junior champion competed at the World Championships in Singapore last year and returns from Glasgow with her first two senior medals before switching her focus to another major event, with the European Championships in Paris next month.

"Australia are such a freestyle powerhouse, especially on the women's side, and we're definitely doing our best to close that gap," she said.

"I've loved the experience and tried to embrace the atmosphere. I think we've got a really good group and hopefully we'll continue to develop together.

"Having these two championships so close to each other is a new thing, but I'm excited about getting another chance to compete."

The Commonwealth Games have been a true family affair for the Schlosshans, with Leah’s sister Ciara also making waves in Glasgow – albeit while competing for Scotland.

Ciara switched allegiances after moving to the University of Edinburgh in 2022 and narrowly missed out on joining her sister on the podium, finishing fifth in the 100m butterfly final.

The 24-year-old was still delighted with her performance after she set a new personal best of 57.58 seconds and says she is having the time of her life – even if family members are split between England and Scotland in the stands.

“Our little sister, Anna, has England nails on one hand and Scotland on the other to show her support. My parents have just been interchanging between the two,” she said.

“I love having Leah here. Having her poolside, even though we’re representing different teams, and seeing her every day has been really special.

“I’ve taken half a second off my best time during this meet and improved in each round. I obviously would have loved a medal.

“I’m delighted with a personal best. I couldn’t have asked for much more than that.

“We embraced the crowd and soaked up the atmosphere, which is exactly what our coaches told us to do coming into this.”

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