Sutherland’s Hope Gordon completed her Commonwealth Games debut by finishing ninth in the women’s heavyweight Para Powerlifting competition at Glasgow 2026.
The 31-year-old competed on Friday, July 24, at the SEC Armadillo, adding another major achievement to a remarkable sporting career that has already seen her represent Great Britain in both Nordic skiing and Para canoeing.
The Glasgow Games held special personal significance for Gordon, with the closing ceremony on August 2 falling exactly 10 years after the operation that changed her life.
Gordon said afterwards that competing in front of a home crowd and representing Team Scotland was a moment she would remember forever.
“Sport has given me so much, but I’m struggling to find the words to describe how it felt, walking out in front of a home crowd and representing Team Scotland,” she wrote on social media.
“The atmosphere was incredible – something I’ll remember for the rest of my life. Thank you, Glasgow.”
Gordon finished ninth with a best lift of 90kg, completing three successful lifts and receiving nine white lights from the judges.
“Of course, I would have loved a bit more on the bar and to have been pushing towards 100kg,” she said. “But we always knew it was going to be a tough ask whilst training and competing in a different sport.”
Having only recently taken up para powerlifting as part of her journey towards Glasgow 2026, Gordon admitted the discipline presented a steep learning curve.
“When I first started this mission of qualifying for these Games, I quickly realised para-powerlifting is far more technical than the bench press I thought I knew,” she said.
“To finish my second competition with 3/3 ‘good lifts’ and 9/9 white lights is something I’m proud of.”
Gordon also paid tribute to the many people who supported her journey to the Commonwealth Games, highlighting the team behind the scenes who helped make the achievement possible.
“Moments like this don’t happen on their own. They take an army of people behind the scenes,” she said, thanking those involved including coaches, support staff, sporting organisations and her family and friends.
Powerlifting provided Gordon with the opportunity to compete at a home Commonwealth Games while continuing her Para canoeing career, with the sport’s focus on upper-body strength making it a natural fit alongside paddling.
Gordon represented ParalympicsGB in Nordic skiing at the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics before winning silver in the Women’s Va’a Single 200m VL3 for Great Britain at the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympics.
Her appearance in Glasgow also marked another milestone as she became the first female Para Powerlifter to represent Scotland at a Commonwealth Games.
Before competing, Gordon spoke of how much appearing at a home Games meant to her.
“As soon as I saw the Commonwealth Games coming back to Scotland, I knew I had to be there – especially with the closing ceremony falling on the anniversary of my operation. I knew not trying would be a regret,” she said.
Gordon grew up in Rogart before developing Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), a rare condition causing severe, long-term nerve pain, at the age of 12.
What began as knee pain developed into a condition that left her relying on crutches and a wheelchair, undergoing years of treatment while living with near-constant pain.
She returned to sport through swimming before establishing herself as one of Britain’s leading Para canoeists, winning medals on the World Cup circuit and at major championships before claiming Paralympic silver in Paris.
Although she finished outside the medals in Glasgow, Gordon’s ninth-place finish represented another significant achievement in a career that has seen her compete on the biggest stages across three different sporting disciplines.
