Mike O'Connor
Australia’s track cyclists reinforced their position among the world’s best, producing a standout three days of racing at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Across sprint, endurance and Para cycling events, the Australian squad claimed an impressive 28 medals, including ten gold, at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, surpassing their previous record of 20 set in 2014.
Here’s how it played out.
Day 1
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.
Day 2 (Saturday 1 August)
Australia’s track cyclists continued their outstanding Commonwealth Games campaign on Saturday, adding seven more medals across elite and Para cycling events at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome.
The standout performance came from Leigh Hoffman, who claimed gold in the men’s sprint after a dominant display throughout the competition.
The Whyalla rider set a new Commonwealth Games record in qualifying before powering through the knockout rounds, defeating fellow Australian Tayte Ryan in the semi-finals on his way to the final. Hoffman then completed a superb campaign by securing the gold medal, while Ryan delivered a brilliant Games debut to claim bronze and give Australia two riders on the podium.
The victory added another major milestone to Hoffman’s Glasgow campaign after he helped Australia win the men’s team sprint title earlier in the competition.
Thomas Cornish delivered a strong performance in the men’s 10km scratch race, claiming silver after a dramatic and unpredictable contest.
Cornish was supported by teammates Oliver Bleddyn and Blake Agnoletto, who were active throughout the race before a late crash reshaped the field. The Sydney rider launched his sprint on the final lap but was narrowly beaten by England’s Henry Hobbs.
In the women’s 1000m time trial, Claudia Marcks produced a record-breaking ride to secure silver. The Canberra rider stopped the clock at 1:05.607, lowering her own Australian record before Wales’ Emma Finucane produced the winning ride.
Marcks’ result added another medal to an impressive Games after she was part of Australia’s gold medal-winning women’s team pursuit squad.
Australia’s Para cyclists also continued their strong campaign, with Jessica Gallagher and pilot Jacqueline Mengler-Mohr taking silver in the women’s tandem B 1000m time trial. Their performance set a new Australian benchmark for the event.
Kane Perris and Luke Zaccaria added bronze in the men’s tandem B sprint, giving the West Australian pairing their second podium finish of the Games.
The final medal of the day came from Georgia Baker, who secured bronze in the women’s 25km points race. The Tasmanian backed up her earlier scratch race victory with another determined performance, taking her sixth Commonwealth Games medal.
Day 3
Australia brought the curtain down on a superb Commonwealth Games track cycling campaign on Sunday, with Leigh Hoffman producing another outstanding performance to claim gold in the men’s 1000m time trial.
The South Australian sprint star saved one of his biggest rides for last, clocking 58.530 seconds to break the Commonwealth Games record and secure his third gold medal of the Games.
Hoffman’s victory completed a remarkable Glasgow campaign after he also helped Australia win the men’s team sprint and claimed the men’s sprint title, while adding silver in the keirin.
Despite having not raced the kilometre event for six years, Hoffman delivered a powerful four-lap effort from a standing start, using his explosive sprint speed to maintain his pace all the way to the finish.
Tayte Ryan joined Hoffman on the podium, claiming bronze in the men’s 1000m time trial to cap an impressive Commonwealth Games debut.
Australia also enjoyed success across the endurance events, with Alyssa Polites winning gold in the women’s elimination race after a strong tactical display.
Georgia Baker added another medal to her growing collection, taking silver in the women’s elimination race after already winning gold in the scratch race and bronze in the points race.
In the men’s points race, Oliver Bleddyn continued his outstanding Games with a silver medal, adding to his gold in the individual pursuit and gold in the team pursuit.
Australia’s Para cyclists also finished strongly, with Tara Neyland claiming gold in the women’s C4-C5 1000m time trial and Erin Normoyle taking bronze in the same event.
Kristina Clonan rounded out Australia’s medal haul with bronze in the women’s keirin.
Australian track cycling medals Glasgow 2026
Gold medals 🥇
| Rider(s) | Event |
|---|---|
| Alyssa Polites | Women’s Elimination Race |
| Blake Agnoletto | Men’s Elimination Race |
| Georgia Baker | Women’s Scratch Race |
| Oliver Bleddyn | Men’s 4km Individual Pursuit |
| Leigh Hoffman | Men’s Sprint |
| Leigh Hoffman | Men’s 1km Time Trial |
| Tara Neyland | Women’s C4–C5 Individual Pursuit |
| Tara Neyland | Women’s C4–C5 1km Time Trial |
| Danny Barber, Leigh Hoffman, Ryan Elliott | Men’s Team Sprint |
| Alyssa Polites, Claudia Marcks, Felicity Wilson-Haffenden, Georgia Baker, Sophie Edwards | Women’s Team Pursuit |
Silver medals 🥈
| Rider(s) | Event |
|---|---|
| Claudia Marcks | Women’s 1km Time Trial |
| Conor Leahy | Men’s 4km Individual Pursuit |
| Georgia Baker | Women’s Elimination Race |
| Gordon Allan | Men’s C1–C3 1km Time Trial |
| Jess Gallagher & Jacqui Mengler-Mohr | Women’s Tandem B Sprint |
| Jess Gallagher & Jacqui Mengler-Mohr | Women’s Tandem B 1km Time Trial |
| Leigh Hoffman | Men’s Keirin |
| Oliver Bleddyn | Men’s Points Race |
| Tom Cornish | Men’s Scratch Race |
| Blake Agnoletto, Conor Leahy, James Moriarty, Oliver Bleddyn | Men’s Team Pursuit |
Bronze medals 🥉
| Rider(s) | Event |
|---|---|
| Erin Normoyle | Women’s C4–C5 1km Time Trial |
| Georgia Baker | Women’s Points Race |
| James Moriarty | Men’s 4km Individual Pursuit |
| Kane Perris & Luke Zaccaria | Men’s Tandem B Sprint |
| Kane Perris & Luke Zaccaria | Men’s Tandem B 1km Time Trial |
| Kristina Clonan | Women’s Keirin |
| Tayte Ryan | Men’s Sprint |
| Tayte Ryan | Men’s 1km Time Trial |
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.
