Scotland's Faye Rogers proves doctors wrong in 200m butterfly at Glasgow 2026 five years after being told she 'will never swim again'
By Tom Masters
Published 29/07/2026 at 17:49 GMT+1
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There are few sports stories as heartwarming as that of Faye Rogers. The Scottish swimmer was roared on to Commonwealth Games gold in the S10 200m individual medley on the opening night of Glasgow 2026.
Rogers on 'surreal' journey to Commonwealth Games gold: ‘Para swimming gave me my life back'
Video credit: TNT Sports
For many, that would be enough to already call it a hugely successful Games. But Rogers has a far more complex story than any old athlete.
The 23-year-old was not supposed to be in the S10 category - she was a 200m butterfly swimmer and was seemingly on her way to being an Olympian at the age of 18.
In fact, Rogers was set to move to Aberdeen, where she was to study at university as well as train, with Team GB Olympic trials on the horizon.
But then disaster struck right as she was set to make the short move over the border from Teesside to Scotland.
The then-teenager was caught in a serious car incident when travelling to training.
Rogers suffered serious injuries to her right arm, including a complex open fracture, multiple dislocations and a severed ulnar nerve.
Doctors told her she would never be able to swim competitively again.
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Rogers on 'surreal' journey to Commonwealth Games gold: ‘Para swimming gave me my life back'
Video credit: TNT Sports
But at Glasgow 2026, Rogers proved those doctors wrong.
Not content with racing and winning gold by almost three seconds in the S10 category, Rogers would also return to the pool on Wednesday, back in her preferred event of the 200m butterfly.
She was unable to advance to the final on this occasion, but returning to that event as a para-athlete is something nobody, even Rogers, could have ever expected.
Speaking to TNT Sports ahead of the 200m butterfly heat, Rogers said: ”Before my accident, the 200 butterfly was my main event – well, my only event.
”It’s not a Paralympic event. It’s only an Olympic event, so I was told if I want to compete, I am going to have to compete against the Olympic pathway athletes.
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”So at first it was really difficult and frustrating to have acquired an impairment and every single stroke I took was just a reminder of how different it was and the things I couldn’t do.
”So I avoided the 200 fly. With that being my primary event before, it really felt difficult, but last season I decided I was going to give it a go anyway and see if I could make that 10-year-old kid who loved the 200 butterfly proud.
”I did it and I qualified for the British Swimming Championships last April in 2025, and I was just buzzing to be there.”
Rogers’ story is one of extreme determination, somehow returning to the pool just 12 weeks after she was told she would never swim again.
Three years later, she was not only entering the Paralympics in the S10 100m butterfly competition, but she won gold.
Rogers explained that her way of coping with her injury was doing the very thing she had enjoyed before – swimming.
”I think my way of coping with it actually was through swimming,” Rogers said. ”I think it gave me something to focus on.
”At first there was definitely some denial. I genuinely believe that I was going to get back to where I was when I didn’t have the impairment, but I think swimming really helped me accept that I do have an impairment and that’s okay, that’s actually really cool.
”It’s been a journey and there’s definitely been some rough times. It took me nearly four years to do the 200 fly again, so it has been hard, but every single minute has been worth it.
”After the accident, I would likely never swim again. Certainly never competitively, so to be able to be doing what I’m doing is just a dream come true.
”Honestly, Para Swimming has just given me my life back. It’s been incredible.”
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