An Australian sweep of the medals had the capacity home crowd on their feet, screaming themselves hoarse.

But Kiera Aitken wasn?t about to allow their celebration spoil hers.

For the 22-year-old Bermudian it was already a case of mission accomplished. And whatever she achieved in Monday night?s final of the 50 metres backstroke at Melbourne?s Sports and Aquatic Centre was simply icing on the cake.

As it was, she came desperately close to emulating her previous night?s lifetime best of 29.99, missing by just one hundredth of a second.

Her time of 30 seconds was an exact repeat of her morning heat on Sunday, good enough for seventh in a Commonwealth Games final ? the first ever reached by a female Island swimmer.

Watched from the stands by mother and team manager Marybeth Aitken, the Dalhousie University student capped what has undoubtedly been the most memorable meet of her life, surpassing even her performance at the Olympics in Athens two years ago when she set a national record by winning her 100 metres backstroke heat.

This time she didn?t win any of her races, but she did reach a final, smashed her own 50 metres national record twice along the way, and also qualified for the 100 backstroke semi-final.

?I?m so pleased with what I?ve done,? she beamed after watching a replay of the race in which Australian Sophie Edington claimed gold, equalling the Games record of 28.42.

?It?s been a great meet for me.

?And I?m happy with my swim tonight. I felt strong and I still think I can swim faster.

?Next year I have the Pan-Am Games and World Championships, and the plan right now is to aim for the Olympics in two years? time.

?I?m pretty sure I can beat my record again. Strength training will be important and more distance training. But I think I can get better.?

If she can, she might yet challenge the undisputed dominance of the Australians who in this event, and more than a few others at these Games, proved on current form they are virtually unbeatable.

Edington pipped her compatriot Giaan Rooney, who had smashed the Games record 24 hours earlier, by just one hundredth of a second with another Aussie, Tayliah Zimmer, collecting the bronze less than three tenths of a second further back.

Aitken, swimming in lane one, finished ahead of England?s Katy Sexton (30.05).