Australian Yolane Kukla became the youngest swimming gold medal winner at the Commonwealth Games in this century when she won the women’s 50 metres Freestyle event at Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Aquatics Complex on Friday, October 8.
Yolane Kukla, who was born on September 29 1995 in Brisbane, was 15 years and nine days old when she beat England’s Halsall Francesca in the final of 50 metres freestyle. Yolane Kukla is also the youngest gold medalist in swimming since 2000. Alice Mills had held the previous record. The Australian swimmer was 16 years and 72 days old when she had won the gold medal in the 4x100m freestyle Relay at Manchester in 2002.
Having only seriously started swimming at the age of 12, Yolane Kukla won two national titles and gold medals at the 2010 Telstra Australian Swimming Championships in Sydney at just 14, earning selection in the Commonwealth Games team for Delhi and the Australian team for the Pan Pacific Championships. Her victories came in the 50m butterfly and 50m freestyle.
