On a night when thousands of Scottish fans packed into the aquatics center, Duncan Scott delivered exactly what his nation needed.
The swimmer from Alloa, a town about an hour north of Glasgow, claimed gold in his event to become the first Scot to reach the top of the podium at these Commonwealth Games. It was his 14th Commonwealth medal across four Games — a haul that stretches back almost 12 years, when he first stood on the medal podium in this very building as a teenager.
"I don't usually feel the expectation, but that one I probably did," Scott told BBC Sport Scotland. "Simply because it's day one and I love representing Scotland and you want to try and get the whole team off to a good start."
The pressure was real. The Commonwealth Games in Glasgow itself almost never happened — Victoria, Australia pulled out of hosting, leaving the event in limbo before Scotland stepped in to save it. Scott had publicly backed the Games through that uncertainty, and on Friday night, he delivered on the faith his country placed in him.
The 32-year-old dominated his race from start to finish, touching the wall well ahead of his closest rivals. No one was catching him. Not tonight. Not in front of a home crowd desperate for early success.
"I think there was a bigger picture of trying to get good momentum for the crowd involvement for the rest of the week, and the team as well," Scott said. "So I felt that expectation, but it's nothing I couldn't deal with."
Even a visit from drug testers after the race couldn't dampen his mood. Scott, one of the most experienced swimmers in the field, took the weekend off to rest — he knows how to pace a long competition. But his work is done. With one gold on the board and his teammates watching, Scotland's campaign is off to exactly the start they hoped for.
The Commonwealth Games run through February 2, with swimming events continuing across the week.