Eleanor Patterson laments Victoria's Commonwealth Games debacle as a shameful missed opportunity but gladly welcomes Glasgow as the event's saviour.
Scotland's largest city was the scene of Patterson's breakout performance in 2014, when a then 18-year-old school student soared to unexpected high jump gold.
And so it will be a full-circle moment when she lines up at Scotstoun Stadium alongside fellow Australian star Nicola Olyslagers in the 2026 final on Tuesday night (local time).
But the Gippsland product, who was overlooked for the 2018 Gold Coast Games, can't shake a sense of disappointment about missing a chance to compete at international level in her old backyard.
"I was really looking forward to having it back in Australia and also in the Victorian countryside," said Patterson, who now resides in Italy.
"For us (high jumpers) it would've been Ballarat, so it would've been incredible.
"The world was a very strange place at the time and some decisions were made, and shame on them.
"But I'm excited it's in Glasgow. It means a lot that it's going back there."
Patterson returns a completely different person to the shy teenager who claimed gold in a "baptism of fire" that flew past in a blur and now feels like a lifetime ago.
After missing 2018 selection, Patterson took a year off and eventually enjoyed great success on return, including world championships gold in 2022 and Olympic bronze two years later.
"I was fresh out of little old Leongatha (and) very, very timid, so I'm very proud of how far I've come in so many ways and who I am today," Patterson said.
"I talk a little bit more, that's for sure."
Patterson partly attributes her success and happiness to two members of the crowd from 2014, who she now counts among her inner circle.
Her British coach Fayaaz Caan was mentoring English runner-up Isobel Pooley at that stage, and Patterson's Italian partner Marco Fassinotti was also in the stands.
"I'm very grateful for every experience I've had along the journey and everyone who's walked into my life, and for that group that I have now," Patterson said.
"I could not be in a better position right now with my coach 'Fuzz' (Caan) and Marco as well."
Patterson has rebuilt her run-up under Caan over the past 18 months and is reaping the benefits as she eyes more Games gold.
The 30-year-old has cleared two metres multiple times in the past five weeks, having not done so in the previous four years.
She set a personal best of 2.02m when winning the 2022 world championship.
"I'd only ever jumped two metres in a major championship, so to do it outside of that has been such a confidence-booster," Patterson said.
"It was a long time coming but I knew I could do this."
Olyslagers cleared 2.01m to edge out Ukraine's Olympic champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh and Patterson at the London Diamond League event this month and looms as one to beat in Glasgow.
Patterson also rates her training partner, Russian-born Cypriot Elena Kulichenko, among the leading contenders, along with Jamaica's defending champion Lamara Distin and Nigeria's US college star Temitope Adeshina.
"The hot contender is definitely Nicola and we're both in incredible shape," Patterson said.
"We'll both put our best foot forward and (it will take) two metres to take the win."
