Mike O'Connor
Australia’s track cyclists have made a flying start at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, with the green and gold already collecting six medals, including three gold, and showing the depth of a program that continues to produce on the world stage.
The biggest statement came in the men’s team sprint, where Ryan Elliott, Leigh Hoffman and Daniel James Barber delivered a superb performance to claim gold, defeating England in the final at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome.
Much of the pre-Games sprint discussion centred on Matthew Richardson, the former Australian rider who switched allegiance to Great Britain after the Paris Olympics, but any potential showdown failed to eventuate after Richardson was ruled out of the Glasgow campaign with injury.
Instead, the spotlight fell on Australia’s new-look sprint combination, and the trio delivered when it mattered most.
Hoffman, who was part of Australia’s Olympic bronze medal-winning sprint team in Paris, said before the Games the squad was focused on its own performance rather than the outside noise.
“We’d be racing with each other in the team sprint, and every other event you race as an individual anyway,” Hoffman said.
The victory was another step forward for an Australian sprint program undergoing a generational change, with Elliott and Barber stepping up alongside Hoffman as key figures for the future.
The women’s team pursuit squad was equally impressive, successfully defending Australia’s Commonwealth title. Georgia Baker, Claudia Marcks, Alyssa Polites and Felicity Wilson-Haffenden, alongside Sophie Edwards who rode in qualifying, combined to defeat New Zealand in a thrilling final, continuing Australia’s dominance in the event.
For Wilson-Haffenden, the gold medal was another milestone in a remarkable rise. The Tasmanian only took up cycling during the COVID-19 pandemic after a background in hockey and athletics, before progressing through the Tasmanian Institute of Sport and AusCycling pathway.
Australia’s endurance men also delivered a strong performance, with Blake Agnoletto, Oliver Bleddyn, Conor Leahy and James Moriarty taking silver in the team pursuit behind England.
There was more success in the para events, where Tara Neyland produced one of the rides of the competition. Neyland broke the world record twice during qualifying before claiming gold in the women’s C4-C5 4000m individual pursuit.
Jessica Gallagher and pilot Jacqueline Mengler-Mohr added silver in the women’s tandem B sprint, while Kane Perris and Luke Zaccaria secured bronze in the men’s tandem B 1000m time trial.
With more sprint and endurance events still to come, Australia’s campaign at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome is already shaping as another strong showing.
We’ll continue to update this article as more results come in over the next few days.
Australian track cycling medals Glasgow 2026 (so far)
| Medal | Event | Australian riders |
|---|---|---|
| 🥇 Gold | Men’s team sprint | Ryan Elliott, Leigh Hoffman, Daniel James Barber |
| 🥇 Gold | Women’s 4000m team pursuit | Georgia Baker, Claudia Marcks, Alyssa Polites, Felicity Wilson-Haffenden, Sophie Edwards (qualifying) |
| 🥇 Gold | Women’s C4-C5 4000m individual pursuit | Tara Neyland |
| 🥈 Silver | Men’s 4000m team pursuit | Blake Agnoletto, Oliver Bleddyn, Conor Leahy, James Moriarty |
| 🥈 Silver | Women’s tandem B sprint | Jessica Gallagher, Jacqueline Mengler-Mohr |
| 🥉 Bronze | Men’s tandem B 1000m time trial | Kane Perris, Luke Zaccaria |
Mike O’Connor – A keen cyclist, runner and photographer, Mike O’Connor is the Editor of Bicycling Australia. He manages the BA website and social media, and loves promoting the achievements of Australian cyclists.
