Flashback: How Andrew Baildon and Giaan Rooney shined at Commonwealth Games

AS the Commonwealth Games gold rolls in, here’s how some of the Gold Coast’s home grown talent proved themselves in the pool and broke records.

THE Commonwealth Games has been an incredible success in its first days, with amazing competition in and out of the pool.

With the Gold Coast on the world stage, there are plenty of local athletes hoping to come away with gold in front of their friends and family.

In previous Games the city has seen homegrown heroes strike it big and stand atop the medal podium.

It’s January 1990: Bob Hawke is in his penultimate year as Prime Minister, They Might Be Giants topped the charts with Istanbul (Not Constantinople) and Andrew Baildon became a swimming sensation.

Swimmer Andrew Baildon at the 1990 Commonwealth Games.

The Southport-born superstar and son of Cr Gary Baildon had already impressed with an appearance on the 1988 Olympic team at Seoul while he was in his final year at school.

While he didn’t medal that year, Baildon showed audiences he was a force to be reckoned with and was again selected to represent Australia at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland.

In a stunning haul, Baildon won a six-medal haul, including five gold in the pool.

These included the 50m and 100m freestyle, the 100m butterfly and 4x100m freestyle relay.

On the back of this performance he was the world No. 1 for the 100m butterfly.

He later won another gold and bronze at the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria, Canada where he also served as team captain.

Baildon wins gold.

Just four years later, another Gold Coaster proved themselves to be a superstar..

At the 1998 Kuala Lumpur Games 15-year-old schoolgirl Giaan Rooney stunned the swimming world to claim a gold medal in the 100m backstroke in her event debut.

The victory over Canadian Kelly Stefanshyn and Olympian Meredith Smith came after a four-day bout of gastro.

Rooney got off to a flying start from lane seven and was not threatened during the race, powering home to a Commonwealth Games record.

Giaan Rooney wins gold at the 1998 Games.

“This just shows you what dreams can do, It’s just such a wonderful feeling,” she told the Bulletin shortly after her September 14 1998 victory.

“It’s just such an unbelievable feeling.

“I never thought it would happen so soon”

Rooney, then a year 11 student at All Saints Anglican School, had not won an Australia open title and had not expected to won a medal, let alone gold.

Following her win, Rooney praised her coach Denis Cotterell.

“He’s just such an inspiration to me. He’s the best coach anyone could have. He’s an absolute legend.”

20 years ago: Giaan Rooney

Cotterell admitted he had put the swimmer under significant pressure before her race.

He said he and taken her aside three times before the race and had not spoken harsher wards in his then-three decades in the sport, making his young charge angry.

“She wasn’t in the right frame of mind and I had to do something,” he said.

“I can’t divulge what I said buy I put her under tremendous mental pressure.

“I thought she swam it perfectly.”

Rooney went on to win a second gold in the 4x100m medley at the Games.

After graduating from high school in 1999 she went on to win two silver medals at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, a gold in Athens and silver at the 20002 and 2006 Commonwealth Games before retiring.