By Andrew Reid and Lachie Moorhouse

The Australian athletics team achieved its goal of winning the most medals and most gold at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Their sensational haul of 12 gold, 11 silver and 11 bronze, for 34 medals, was two more gold than Jamaica and 13 more medals than England. Four years ago in Birmingham, Australia won the most gold with 10 but was nine medals short of England overall. 

The 86 Australian athletes, including 23 Para athletes, were the talk of Scotstoun Stadium with world-class performances across the six days of competition and the full range of distances on the track and continued their usual success in the field. 

The 34 medals at Glasgow rank equal fourth for total medals. Only Perth 1962, with 37, had more medals and fewer athletes. The 12 gold ranks equal sixth for Australia across the Commonwealth (and Empire) Games. The 17 medals (7G, 5S, 5B) on the final day of competition were the most successful day of athletics in Commonwealth Games history for Australia. 

“The performances across the board by the Australian athletes were incredible,” Andrew Faichney, Australian Athletics General Manager of High Performance, said. 

“We started off with a fantastic opening two nights and finished with our best day at the Commonwealth Games ever. What an unbelievable Games. Fantastic performances across so many of the events, which is exactly what we were hoping to see at these Games – performance met expectation. 

“It was an opportunity for our athletes to deliver when there was a degree of expectation around them, and deliver they did; it was exceptional.

“Glasgow’s been fantastic. This has been the big focus for our athletes and the high-performance team at AA, with the tremendous support of the CGA. Our coaches were phenomenal, and our entire team across the board was sensational. I’m very happy; we’ve got a very exciting time now, for 27 and 28, and we look forward to seeing our success continue,” Faichney said.

A selection of highlights and history-defining moments included new Games records to Eleanor Patterson in the high jump (1.96m), Layla Sharp in the long jump T38 (5.06m) and Kurtis Marschall in the pole vault (5.85m). Marschall is now the first Australian man to win three consecutive gold medals in the same event. There were seven new Australian records and 12 athletes set 15 new personal bests.

Rose Davies won Australia’s first gold in the 10,000m on the opening day of athletics competition, and 72 hours later she became the first athlete to win the 10,000m-5000m double at a Commonwealth Games, when she held off Jessica Hull down the home straight in a classic race that for many will be the defining memory of the Games. 

“It means the world to me. As a little girl you watch the Commonwealth Games and see your idols on the screen, and you want that to be you,” Davies said. 

Ky Robinson fell just short of the same sensational achievement with silver in the 5,000m. 

Gemima Montag won her third consecutive walking gold with the 10,000m Walk title in Glasgow; she was challenged for the majority of the race by Elizabeth McMillan, and Rebecca Henderson won the bronze. The clean sweep was the first for Australia in 20 years and was then matched later that evening by Australia’s middle-distance queens.  

Caldwell won the first women’s Mile in Commonwealth history and Australia again swept the medals with Jess Hull second and Claudia Hollingsworth third. 

“Being the female mile gold medallist is extraordinary, and something I’ve dreamed of for years. Executing that was an absolute dream come true and a privilege to be out there representing Australia alongside Jess and Claudia. We truly have amazing athletes and depth across the entire team,” Caldwell said.

Hull’s two silvers meant she was one of four Australian athletes to win two medals at the Games. Cameron Myers also raced to silver in the men’s Mile, with the 20-year-old disappointed but having learnt a lot from racing a championship against a world-class field.  

At the shortest end of the track distances, Australian sprinters had a phenomenal Games. In the 100 metres, Torrie Lewis lowered her Australian Record to 10.99 seconds on her way to bronze, and Lachlan Kennedy smashed the Oceania Record with 9.85 seconds to win silver. Both also made the 200m finals.

The men’s 4x100m relay team of Kennedy, Josh Azzopardi, Calab Law and Rohan Browning and Chris Ius (heat runner) won for the first time in 52 years, and the women’s 4x100m team were just 0.02 seconds off the podium.

“We knew what we had in us. We are all competitors and to put it together when it matters, full credit to the fellas,” Kennedy said.

“Glasgow’s been fantastic. This has been the big focus for our athletes and the high-performance team at AA for 2026, and we have been planning for our staging camps for a long time, with the tremendous support of the CGA,” Faichney said.

“It was a great opportunity for our athletes, and the best part is when opportunity is seized, and that’s something that we certainly did. 

“Our coaches were phenomenal, and our entire team across the board was sensational. I’m very happy; we’ve got a very exciting time now, for 27 and 28, and we look forward to seeing our success continue.“ 

The youth in the team is another reason to be excited for the future of Australian athletics. Isaac Beacroft, who turned 19 just before the Games, was the youngest winner of the 10,000m race walk ever, and Australia’s youngest male champion in 52 years. The average age of the team was only 25, and there were 55 Commonwealth Games debutants.

Australian Commonwealth Games Team flag bearer Nina Kennedy was just short of defending her pole vault title. But despite the challenging conditions and missing the gold, she was all class in defeat.  

“Eliza handled the conditions better, and that’s why she is walking away with the gold,” Kennedy said.

“People forget, Eliza is an Olympic bronze medallist and held the Oceania record for seven years. She is a really good jumper, and I love competing against her, and I’m genuinely happy for her.

“The Commonwealth Games is so much fun, and sometimes sport is about more than just the medals.” 

Peter Bol, who was seventh in the 800m final, behind Luke Boyes’ sensational silver and Peyton Craig’s sixth, was full of praise for Glasgow.

“The Commonwealth Games are so special to Australian athletes and fans. Thank you to Glasgow, and all the volunteers, organisers and spectators for saving the Commonwealth Games and providing this wonderful platform for us to perform on and inspire future generations,” Bol said.