Para-swimmer Faye Rogers races in non-disabled event at Commonwealth Games
Scotland's Faye Rogers, already a gold medalist in para-swimming, competed in the non-disabled 200m butterfly heats, and although she didn't reach the final, her participation alone was a remarkable achievement five years after a car accident that almost ended her career.
Faye Rogers, a 23-year-old Scottish para-swimmer, won gold in the S10 200m individual medley on the opening night of the Commonwealth Games, winning by over 2.5 seconds. The following Wednesday, she returned to the pool to race in the non-disabled 200m butterfly. She did not qualify for the final, but making the heats was a significant milestone.
Five years ago, the butterfly was her event. She had qualified for the Team GB Olympic trials and was set to move to Aberdeen to train under Patrick Miley, father of Olympian Hannah. But on the day she was due to leave home in Teesside, she was in a serious car accident while driving to training. She suffered a complex open fracture to her right arm, multiple dislocations, and a severed ulnar nerve.
Doctors told her she would never swim competitively again, yet 12 weeks later she was back in the pool doing rehab. By summer 2024, she won Paralympic gold in Paris. Remarkably, she is now faster than before the accident.
"I never in a million years thought I could be faster," said Rogers, who cannot straighten her right arm. "Yes, it looks a bit different and there is an impairment, but I've worked harder, I'm fitter, I'm stronger. My message is: don't let anyone tell you what you can and can't do."
Last year, she decided to test herself in the 200m butterfly and found she was only a fraction off her pre-accident best. She spoke to selectors, and it was agreed that if three other athletes did not post faster times, she could compete at the Commonwealth Games. They didn't, and she was in. "I found out a couple of weeks ago and I've been so excited," said the Edinburgh University student. "It's such a privilege to show others with impairments that no matter what you are told, there is a way through."
