In a team full of towering trees, Forrester takes her chance to be seen

Jenna Forrester isn't the biggest star on the Dolphins team and wasn't even supposed to be racing the 200m backstroke, but now she's a gold medallist for the first time.

Jenna Forrester wasn't even supposed to be there.

The 23-year-old travelled to Glasgow as a 400m freestyle and individual medley swimmer.

Then, when backstroke queen Kaylee McKeown succumbed to illness on the eve of the Commonwealth Games, selectors decided to throw Forrester in the 200m back too.

Such is the depth in Australian swimming, that's usually a pretty solid tactic to nab a podium double or even the vaunted sweep.

But usually it's not the afterthought climbing the top step.

"I really just went into tonight with a positive attitude," she said.

"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."

At the trials in June, it was 20-year-old Iona Anderson who announced herself as a potential heir to McKeown's throne when she bettered her qualifying time.

McKeown, in the depths of glandular fever, responded in the final with a dominant victory, besting Anderson by almost four seconds in the final.

Hannah Fredericks was third and Forrester was more than five seconds behind McKeown in fourth.

For much of Saturday morning's final, it appeared something similar would repeat, albeit without the knowledge that everyone is racing for silver behind McKeown.

Fredericks was out fastest, while Forrester sat sixth at the first turn.

In fact, Fredericks led for the first three quarters of the race, before slowing in the last lap with only a 34-second split of the top six.

Meanwhile, Forrester was only getting stronger, saving her second-fastest 50 metres for last as she mowed down her compatriot, Scotland's Katie Shanahan, and Canadian Madison Kryger.

A veteran of three world championships, a Commonwealth Games and an Olympics before arriving in Glasgow, this marks her first gold medal at a major meet.

The stamina on display was remarkable for a woman who, only 15 minutes earlier, was standing on the podium celebrating her 400m freestyle bronze alongside champion teammate Lani Pallister.

Exactly how she managed to pull that off remains a mystery even to her.

"I honestly couldn't tell you, I am as shocked as you are," she said.

"I think my training this year has been really consistent and I have all of Swimming Australia and my coaches to thank for that.

"Honestly, I couldn't have done it without the help of a lot of others."

And on a night when 15 of her fellow Dolphins also won medals, there's plenty of help around.