Among a stream of impressive performances from the 12 Guernsey swimmers, the current Ellesmere College student – who turns 16 this month and so was the youngest female squad member – played a pivotal role in multiple relay records and kept up with her more experienced allies.
Rautenbach had not lined up at Tollcross International as one of Guernsey’s record-smashing ‘big names’ in the same way as Tatiana Tostevin or the retiring Orla Rabey, instead swimming somewhat under the radar due to having long been based off-island.
But she was right up there with them. Notably, as Tostevin lowered the 50m freestyle record to 26.95sec. on Tuesday, her in-form teammate raced in just 0.08sec. behind in the same heat.
‘Honestly, I still sometimes feel like it’s so unreal,’ she said on reflection of her Commonwealths debut.
‘I have not even processed that I was at the Games quite yet and we’ve already finished it.
‘I am so grateful to do it with my team and to have the support behind me that I do.’
Rautenbach had been a major force in the Guernsey’s record-breaking relay performances, swimming a dependable front-crawl across both the women’s 4x100m freestyle and medley relays. She got to experience finals in both and even anchored the medleys.
She also contested three individual events, including a personal best of 31.41 in the 50m backstroke.
But the individual highlight had to be that freestyle sprint of 27.03, where she so nearly became only the second Guernsey woman under a tough barrier.
‘To not quite get under the 27 mark is a bit disappointing, but I’m still very happy with that time,’ she added.
Rautenbach has been training hard at her college in Shropshire – 18 hours per week – but there is certainly a sense of more to come.
And, in a reminder of how early these Commonwealths have come in her career, she is now looking onto the youth equivalent next year.
‘That’s going to be my main focus point now, from now until then, the Youth Commonwealths – which I’m excited for in Malta.
‘I’m quite excited for the Island Games as well, but I’m a bit sad because Orla won’t be there.’
One might question Sara Parfit’s right to complain about her own tiredness when the swimmers have been smashing it out in the pool for six days, but she can certainly be excused in this case.
Parfit had to manage a dozen swimmers over the course of the week, which meant some early mornings, late nights, and plenty of work in-between.
‘It was pretty full on,’ she said.
‘We had a lot of swimmers this time.
‘It does take a lot out of you, even with having Tom [Hollingsworth, fellow coach] here.’
But it was all worth it for her.
Looking beyond the records, swimmers achieved an abundance of PBs – including 15-year-old Zach Maiden achieving the clean sweep across his five events.
‘60% of the swims were PBs – that’s pretty amazing,’ Parfit added.
‘Some of the girls are at a really high level already, so to PB even further is a tough job for them.’
Although Glasgow 2026 was effectively a scaled-down Games, Parfit did not feel that at all – at least when she was poolside.
‘For swimming, it really did not feel different from any other Games.
‘All the top swimmers are there. It’s a major competition on the swimming calendar which only happens every four years.
‘In terms of the set-up, it was very different being in a hotel, which is very open to the public all week – anybody can walk in and out.’
Several of the Guernsey swimmers stepped up with no experience at competitions of this scale.
In particular, Maiden celebrated his 15th birthday weekend during the Games, an experience which Parfit described as ‘unforgettable’.
Rautenbach and sprint speedster Henry Bolton are both also only 15.
‘Some of the young swimmers, the likes of Zach and Henry, they have learned a lot about going to this kind of competition and they obviously still have lots to learn.
‘It has been a great introduction for them.
‘Hopefully they will be the people we are looking for in four years’ time [for Amdavad 2030].’
Tostevin and Rabey already have multiple Commonwealths behind them, and are balancing their sport with work life, yet they still relished this stage and came away with individual records. Parfit remains impressed by their approach.
‘Tati always impresses me, and Orla, by the fact they are working women but they still find the time in the pool and in the gym.
‘They are great leaders for the team, but all the swimmers get on well together.
‘I was very impressed by Tallulah as she went to the Island Games a year ago and seeing how much she has moved on in a year, it’s very pleasing.
‘In the pool, and as a person, she’s really grown and matured.’
Parfit can offer plenty of praise to go around for the Guernsey squad, but undeniably it was a swimmer from the sister isle that made the greatest impression in the pool.
Jersey’s Filip Nowacki made history in, at just 18, winning a gold and a silver while racing the likes of Adam Ramsay-Peaty in the breaststroke events.
His gold came in the 200m breast and Parfit pushed any inter-island rivalry aside to say it was ‘absolutely wonderful’ to see.
‘We all went up to the pool to watch him swim and it was just a memory that I will hold onto, for sure, to see Filip get the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games.’
Having spent much of his career blossoming under the coaching of Nathan Jegou, he has also been hailed as showing what is possible for a Channel Islands swimmer.
‘It does show that if you live on an island that has a 25m pool – and you do not have a 50m pool – if you take someone who is very talented like that, you can produce swimmers who will medal at the Commonwealth Games.’
