For Aussie sports fans, here are five major storylines\u00a0you\u2019ll\u00a0want to keep an eye on\u00a0this weekend!\u00a0<\/p>\n
Men\u2019s\u00a0Sprint: Leigh\u00a0Hoffman leads new guard\u00a0![](\"https:\/\/auscycling.imgix.net\/images\/leigh)
Leigh Hoffman will lead a new-look squad in the men’s team sprint. Picture: SWPix.com<\/p>\n
Since winning\u00a0gold\u00a0at the\u00a0Birmingham\u00a02022 Commonwealth Games\u00a0in the team sprint,\u00a0the fast men of\u00a0Australia\u00a0have\u00a0seen\u00a0a major\u00a0revamp.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Olympic legend Matt Glaetzer has retired, Tom Cornish has moved to the endurance program, and Perth\u2019s Matt Richardson (who has withdrawn from the Games due to injury) has\u00a0switched his\u00a0loyalties\u00a0to England.<\/p>\n
Now, Leigh Hoffman\u00a0(26)\u00a0leads a new-look squad of Ryan Elliot\u00a0(22), Tayte Ryan\u00a0(20)\u00a0and Danny Barber\u00a0(23);\u00a0a quartet that could define Australian men\u2019s sprinting for the\u00a0best part of a\u00a0decade.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s\u00a0been great, my progression over the last\u00a0four\u00a0years. Matthew Glaetzer, a great who came before me, has just retired.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0pretty big\u00a0shoes to fill. With Matthew Richardson leaving the team,\u00a0Glaetzer\u00a0retiring, Cornish moving to endurance,\u00a0we\u2019ve\u00a0had to reset,” Hoffman said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0really happy\u00a0and confident where the team is with the younger boys. Ryan Elliot,\u00a0Tayte Ryan,\u00a0Danny Barber,\u00a0we\u2019ve\u00a0got a fresh team but\u00a0we\u2019re\u00a0all keen to get into it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLast time at Commies I was the young guy,\u00a0and I had to step up.\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0hoping the same for these boys as well.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Women\u2019s\u00a0Sprint:\u00a0Queen\u00a0Kristina\u00a0fights\u00a0back\u00a0from injury\u00a0![\"Kristina](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/_CG50532.JPG\")
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Kristina Clonan at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games where she won gold in the 500m Time Trial. Picture: Guy Swarbrick<\/p>\n
Queensland\u2019s\u00a0Kristina Clonan\u00a0won gold in Birmingham\u00a0\u2013 blitzing Anna Meares\u2019 Games record in the 500m Time Trial \u2013\u00a0but\u00a0a debilitating back injury threatened to end her career last year.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She was\u00a0unable to sleep, bend over,\u00a0or even tie her shoelaces.\u00a0She considered giving away her beloved sport, setting herself a deadline of making the Australian team for Glasgow.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After wrestling with doubt, a now pain-free\u00a0Clonan\u00a0has made good on her\u00a0target.\u00a0She\u2019s\u00a0lost none of her drive to perform for Australia\u00a0alongside\u00a0Liliya Tatarinoff,\u00a0Molly McGill\u00a0and\u00a0Alessia McCaig.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cComing home with a medal, with a gold medal would be even better,\u201d Clonan said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a women\u2019s team this time around. Leading into Paris\u00a0[2024 Olympic Games]\u00a0we\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0have that opportunity, so,\u00a0very excited\u00a0to bring the girls together, and\u00a0we\u2019ll\u00a0use this as the launchpad to LA.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first Comm Games I went to was in 2022 Birmingham,\u00a0and I think for that Comm Games I\u00a0probably had\u00a0a little bit of entitlement around my position.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNow there is so much pride in being on the team.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Men\u2019s Team Pursuit: Olympic champions\u00a0build again\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tom Cornish has switched from the sprint to endurance disciplines. Picture: Conan Shing<\/p>\n
When Australia broke the world record and won gold at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, it was a new high watermark in the nation\u2019s team\u00a0pursuiting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This week, Paris medallists Conor Leahy and Oliver Bleddyn are joined by newer faces in Blake Agnoletto and Tom Cornish \u2013 the latter having reshaped his career by switching from the sprint to endurance disciplines.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Queensland\u2019s James Moriarty also returns from the Birmingham 2022 squad, where Australia won bronze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
These five will set out to prove that Paris was not a fluke, and that Australia\u00a0remains\u00a0the\u00a0nation to beat on the boards.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve\u00a0been here for a couple of weeks already, training in Wales.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0been good to have the whole team together. The vibe\u2019s\u00a0really high\u00a0and\u00a0we\u2019re\u00a0really excited,\u201d Leahy said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s\u00a0massive.\u00a0As\u00a0Leigh\u00a0[Hoffman]\u00a0said,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0kind of like\u00a0the Ashes.\u00a0I\u2019ll\u00a0be really excited to race England as well as\u00a0NZ and Wales\u00a0and Scotland.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a great test before the Olympics for us, so it sort of gives you a dress rehearsal to make sure everything\u2019s going smoothly and hit those next two years running.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jess Gallagher\u00a0& Jacqui Mengler-Mohr: a new partnership\u00a0set to soar\u00a0![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/OHL_9604.JPG\")
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Jess Gallagher will be piloted by Jacqui Mengler-Mohr in their first Commonwealth Games together. Picture: SWPix<\/p>\n
Para cyclist Jessica Gallagher\u00a0(40)\u00a0is one of Australia\u2019s most accomplished athletes,\u00a0full stop.\u00a0The Victorian was the first Australian athlete to win medals at both a Summer and Winter Olympic or Paralympic Games, achieving success across alpine skiing, athletics and cycling.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This week, Gallagher\u00a0returns\u00a0to the Commonwealth Games\u00a0as defending champion in\u00a0both of her events: the Tandem B Sprint and the Tandem B 1000m Time Trial.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As a\u00a0vision-impaired athlete,\u00a0she\u2019ll\u00a0be piloted by Queensland\u2019s\u00a0Jacqui Mengler-Mohr\u00a0(47) in their first Games together. The pair\u00a0showed\u00a0their combined strength by winning three medals at last year\u2019s World Championships.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s one thing to be able to have the experiences as an individual athlete, but they really are a lot more meaningful when you share them with people that you have that great connection with,\u201d\u00a0Gallagher\u00a0said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAt this stage in my career, there is excitement at knowing that there\u00a0probably aren\u2019t\u00a0that many more of these left for me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI also am a lot more relaxed.\u00a0That experience really allows you to go in understanding that there are lots of circumstances outside of your control that might impact your performance and\u00a0as long as\u00a0I deliver my best on the day, I\u2019ll be happy with whatever result that might be.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Felicity Wilson-Haffenden: COVID\u00a0newcomer hits world stage\u00a0<\/p>\n
Felicity Wilson-Haffenden is ready to make her Commonwealth Games debut for the Australian Cycling Team. Picture: SWPix<\/p>\n
When the last Commonwealth Games were held,\u00a0Felicity\u00a0Wilson-Haffenden\u00a0was\u00a0barely\u00a0starting\u00a0to ride a bike.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Tasmanian, a teenager at the time, only started cycling\u00a0because she\u00a0couldn\u2019t\u00a0play hockey\u00a0during the COVID-19\u00a0lockdowns.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fast-forward to 2026, and the 21-year-old has\u00a0truly\u00a0bolted\u00a0onto the\u00a0cycling\u00a0scene. From winning a junior world\u00a0title\u00a0in 2023, to becoming\u00a0a\u00a0national\u00a0champion on the road\u00a0in\u00a0January\u00a02026\u00a0\u2013 to now,\u00a0a\u00a0linchpin in Australia\u2019s track endurance squad.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She\u2019ll\u00a0line up to make\u00a0a huge impact\u00a0in the timed events: the team pursuit and the individual pursuit.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFor\u00a0the\u00a0little girl who never dared to dream of it because she never believed it was for people like her,\u201d Wilson-Haffenden\u00a0wrote on social media<\/a>\u00a0this week.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWearing these colours with so much pride in the journey to get here. You\u00a0can\u2019t\u00a0choose your circumstances,\u00a0but you can always choose your next move.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cFull pursuit\u00a0focus\u00a0with TP Thursday followed by IP on Friday. Ready to keep challenging expectations.”<\/p>\n For everything you need to know, read\u00a0our\u00a0guide to\u00a0track\u00a0cycling at the\u00a0Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n