Hope Gordon's Glasgow Mission
Scottish para-powerlifter Hope Gordon is set to compete in Glasgow at the 2026 Commonwealth Games. A recent interview details her determination to create positive memories in her home city after difficult experiences as a teenager. Gordon's story highlights the growing visibility of para-sports in major international competitions.
Before her burgeoning career in para-sport, Hope Gordon endured a decade of debilitating pain from Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, which she was diagnosed with as a teenager. This neurological condition ultimately led to her courageous decision to crowdfund for and undergo a voluntary amputation of her left leg in 2016. Originally a competitive swimmer, Gordon represented the Scottish national team from 2010 to 2018. Following her amputation, she returned to the pool and won a gold medal at the ASA Swimming Championships exactly one year after her surgery. However, she eventually transitioned to other sports, seeking a new challenge. Gordon has since achieved remarkable success in both paracanoe and para-Nordic skiing. She is a multiple world and European championship medalist in paracanoe and made history as Great Britain's first-ever female para-Nordic skier at the 2022 Winter Paralympics in Beijing. The inclusion of para-sports in the Commonwealth Games has a long history, with exhibition events first appearing in 1994. Para-sports were fully integrated with full medal status at the Manchester 2002 Games, a pioneering move for a major multi-sport event. The 2022 Games in Birmingham featured the largest para-sport program in the event's history.
