The key takeaway from Australia’s athletics performance at the Commonwealth Games

August 3, 2026 — 11:00am

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Glasgow: The 2026 Commonwealth Games were the return of the track for Australian athletics.

Australia has long had strong athletics teams, especially at Commonwealth level, but aside from Sally Pearson they have often been carried by technical events, such as the jumpers, the throwers and the road racers (marathons and the walks).

In Glasgow, the new generation of track runners, from sprints to middle and long distance, owned the track.

The measure is not in a boastful medal tally. Australia have won more athletics medals at a Commonwealth Games before, in Melbourne ’06, Gold Coast ’18 and Perth in 1962. Australia have won more athletics gold medals at Games before, too – Glasgow is only equal sixth for Commonwealth golds by Australia.

The key takeaway in Glasgow is that we have been forecasting for the past two years the emergence of a golden age of athletics, headlined by Gout Gout, and this was the first big athletics competition where we have seen breakout performances from that next generation. And that was without that headline act of Gout.

The Commonwealth Games always are put........

© The Age