Australian swimmer Jenna Forrester collected a remarkable cash bonus in under an hour after earning two medals in one night.
Forrester traveled to Glasgow, Scotland, for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, competing in the 400m freestyle and individual medley events as part of Australia’s swimming squad.
Her opportunity in another event came after a setback for Team Australia, when Kaylee McKeown fell ill on the eve of her race.
McKeown had been due to line up in the 200m backstroke, but Forrester was called in after McKeown became unwell with glandular fever.
Although Forrester had finished fourth at last month’s Australian trials and initially missed selection for that race, she made the most of the late chance by storming to gold on July 24.
The 23-year-old, who was making another appearance at the Commonwealth Games after competing in Birmingham in 2022, was racing in a busy opening session at Tollcross International Swimming Centre that also featured her bronze medal in the 400m freestyle.
Speaking after her win, Forrester said (as per ABC News):
“I really just went into tonight with a positive attitude.”
She added:
“I felt like I had nothing to lose and my family would have been really proud of me no matter what the result was. I feel like I really just took that in my stride.”
The gold was not her only success of the evening either. Just 50 minutes earlier, Forrester had already picked up bronze in the 400m freestyle.
Competitors do not receive prize money directly from the Commonwealth for appearing at the Games or securing medals, but Australian medalists are being rewarded through a separate bonus scheme funded by mining billionaire Gina Rinehart.
According to Reuters, Rinehart is awarding A$20,000 for gold, A$15,000 for silver and A$10,000 for bronze in individual swimming events. Relay medalists are set to receive between A$2,500 and A$5,000 for podium finishes.
Any swimmer who sets a world record is also eligible for an extra A$30,000.
That meant Forrester pocketed A$30,000, or roughly $21,000 USD, in less than an hour thanks to her bronze and gold-medal performances.
Rinehart has said of the bonuses:
“These bonuses are a way of Australia saying thank you and showing the appreciation our athletes deserve for bringing our country such a sense of pride and achievement.
“There is something very uplifting about seeing an Australian athlete stand on the podium while our flag is raised.
“Such exciting times make Australians proud and deserve to be celebrated.”
Australia was not the only nation to celebrate a title in the pool, with Scotland also claiming gold through Duncan Scott in the men’s 200m individual medley final.
The 29-year-old, who has won eight Olympic medals, posted a Games record of one minute 56.28 seconds to deliver Scotland’s first gold of the 2026 competition.
Backed by a loud home crowd, Scott moved in front during the backstroke leg and built on that lead in the breaststroke, eventually finishing ahead of New Zealand’s Lewis Clareburt. England’s Tom Dean, a triple Olympic gold medallist, completed the podium with bronze.