Jessica Lewis has won Bermuda’s first medal at the 2026 Commonwealth Games after finishing third in the T53/T54 400 metres final.

Lewis needed to improve from the heats to gain a medal after qualifying fourth-fastest for the final in the heats on Thursday.

She did so in some style. Drawn in lane six and unable to see her main rivals, who were all drawn inside her, Lewis held off the challenge of Canadian Nandini Sharma to secure the bronze medal in 59.31sec.

Gold was won by Melanie Woods, from Scotland in 56.43, with Noemi Alphonse, from Mauritius winning silver in 57.89.

“The plan was to get out fast and then through the headwind just keep the arms moving and stay a little bit more relaxed so that there was hopefully a little bit more in the tank at the end,” Lewis said.

“I executed it really well and I was really happy with how I finished that race.”

As with Friday’s heats at the Scotstoun Stadium in Glasgow, there was a strong headwind in the back straight to contend with.

Lewis said: “It finally broke with about 120m to go. That’s when I felt that I had a lot more in the tank to give, and I was like, ‘Oh, this is gonna be good with the tailwind’.

“I actually didn't know I had got bronze. I thought I was fourth, so that was a great surprise.”

Lewis is a four-times Paralympian, multi-champion at the Parapan Am Games and bronze medal winner at the 2015 IPC Athletic Championships. Winning a bronze at her first Commonwealth Games represents another high.

She said: “Definitely in the past few years, this is the peak. It’s incredible. And to be in the race with [T]54s and to be on the podium with some 54s is amazing.”

Looking ahead to future competitions, she said: “I have a month off, which I'm really looking forward to, just to let the body relax a little bit. Then I'll be back into training for a competition in Dubai in February.”

She also has her eyes on the World Championships next year, in Uzbekistan, and the Paralympics the following year.