Ela Letton-Jones, a 19-year-old para-swimmer from Wales, secured the opening medal for Team Wales at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. The athlete finished second in the women’s S13 100m freestyle with a time of one minute, 4.30 seconds, behind Australian competitor Jenna Jones, who won the event in 1:03.89. Letton-Jones had also qualified in second place during the morning preliminary session.
Letton-Jones expressed relief at delivering a medal performance while managing the pressure of being Wales’ initial medal prospect at the Games. She credited the supportive atmosphere and the presence of her family members in the crowd with helping her execute a strong race. The athlete noted that the crowd noise provided additional motivation and enhanced her competitive performance.
Letton-Jones, based in Y Felinheli in Gwynedd, has albinism, a condition affecting her vision. She employs stroke counting to navigate the swimming pool and determine her proximity to the wall. Despite this challenge, she has pursued competitive swimming and previously competed in the World Para-swimming championships, where she earned silver in the women’s 100m backstroke S12 on her championship debut in 2025. She narrowly missed selection for the Paris Games in 2024 but subsequently joined the Aquatics GB Para-swimming world-class programme.
Letton-Jones is focused on reaching the Paralympics in Los Angeles at a later date. Her medal performance occurred during the opening full day of competition at a Commonwealth Games featuring 113 Welsh athletes competing across 10 different sports.
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