A judo star has brought home a bronze medal after a swift 26-second victory at the Commonwealth Games.

Rachel Tytler, 25, from Bearsden, took to the mat in Birmingham on Wednesday as part of Team Scotland and competed in the under 78kg category.

After losing her first fight to Emma Reid in what is her first Commonwealth Games, Rachel went on to win her next two, beating Hayley Mackey and Coralie Godbout to secure her place in sporting history.

Rachel, who currently coaches for Pro Judo in Glasgow and is a member of Judo Scotland, said: "I thought I’m just going to come and make sure I enjoy it, but to actually be able to take the medal home is a dream come true.

“It’s not really sunk in though.

“The first interview that I did, I just said ‘I’ve won it, ye dancer!’.

"My mum and dad just burst out laughing.

“It’s really special, but I think it’ll take a while to actually grasp the weight of it.”

Glasgow Times:

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Rachel beat her opponent in the final fight within 26 seconds.

She said: “We went in with a game plan and I stayed up and stayed in it and committed 100%.

“As soon as I landed, I knew I had won it.”

Glasgow Times:

Rachel found not only the victory sweet but also the Games as a whole.

“It was pretty incredible," she added.

“The support from anyone that was Scottish, no matter if I knew them or not, they were all backing you and you could feel that.

“And all the noise in the stadium, it was just really special.

“I thought I’d be a lot more nervous than I was, but it was actually the most fun I’ve ever had competing. It was such a buzz.”

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As previously reported, Rachel has her eyes on the Olympics.

Back in July, she said: “The next major goals are to reach the Paris Olympics in 2024, as well as the next Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.”

And now, Rachel finds herself having more confidence in both upcoming goals.

She said: “[The victory] is definitely a big confidence boost.

“I feel like the ball is rolling in the right direction now, I just need to keep working and get the momentum going.”

Following on from her Commonwealth success, Rachel will be heading over to a training camp in Valencia at the end of the month and will be competing in a handful of lined-up competitions.

However, she plans to squeeze in some celebrations.

She said: “Once we’re back up the road, it’s time for a little bit of celebrating and then I’ll be getting right back to it.”