Olympic champion Nina Kennedy is set to steal the show on day five at Scotstoun Stadium, but she won’t be alone in her quest for gold with race walker Isaac Beacroft and sprinters Torrie Lewis and Lachlan Kennedy ready to fire.
On the penultimate day of the Athletics and Para Athletics program, it is Australia’s flagbearer who will take centre stage, as pole vault star Kennedy (WA, James Fitzpatrick) looks to make it back-to-back Commonwealth crowns.
Fresh off an Australian record of 4.95m at the Monaco Diamond League, Kennedy will take on the Kiwi trio of Eliza McCartney (NZL), Imogen Ayris (NZL) and Olivia McTaggart (NZL), with McCartney and Ayris both owning 4.81m season’s bests.
The showdown looms as a major championship classic, with tactics and challenging conditions to factor into the hunt for gold.
“I’ve been training so well. I’ve put so many months and weeks of training blocks together and my first few competitions were a bit rusty, but the 4.95 was incredible,” Kennedy said.
“The New Zealand girls take the Commonwealth Games really seriously and they are going to really push me. They want it just as bad as me, so let the best jumper win.”
Australia will have one representative in each of the Men’s and Women’s 200m finals following strong semi-finals from Torrie Lewis (QLD, Laurent Meuwly) and Lahclan Kennedy (QLD Andrew Iselin), with Lewis touted as the strongest medal chance after winning her second-round showdown while Kennedy progressed on time.
World Under 20 record holder Isaac Beacroft (NSW, David Beacroft) is the only Australian athlete attempting the ambitious Commonwealth Games and World Athletics Under 20 Championships double in 2026.
His personal best of 38:02.68 in the 10,000m race walk ranks him 15th in global history and makes him the man to beat today, but teammate Declan Tingay (WA, Brent Vallance) and Evan Dunfee (CAN) will be in hot pursuit, along with Timothy Fraser (ACT, Jared Tallent).
Australian record holder Sarah Billings (VIC, Nic Bideau) will face one of the strongest middle-distance fields of the championships in the Women’s 800m final, but looks up to the task against reigning world champion Lilian Odira (KEN) and Olympic medallist Georgia Hunter Bell (ENG).
Ranked third in the field this year, Billings will look to win her first senior international medal.
“Each race I’ve gained something else from it. I’m going into the final with lots of confidence because anything can happen,” Billings said.
“Rose [Davies] winning the 10k has really inspired me.”
A trio of emerging Para-athletes will contest the Women’s Long Jump T38, led by national record holder Layla Sharp (NSW, Greg Smith) who owns a 4.86m best, while Sienna Newton (NSW, Andrew Murphy) and Ayla Kowalczyk (NSW, Zenon Kowalczyk) will make their international debuts in the event – Kowalczyk just 15-years-old.
Javelin thrower Cameron McEntyre (NSW, Angus McEntyre) will throw for the medals in one of the most stacked fields in Commonwealth history, buoyed by his 85.73m best, while Sarah Carli (NSW, Abbie Taddeo) is ready to rumble in the Women’s 400m Hurdles Final.
Headlining the first-round action will be the long jump duo of Brooke Buschkuehl (VIC, self-coached) and Delta Amidzovski (NSW, Becky Amidzovski) who will look to book a ticket to the final day of competition, with automatic qualifying set at 6.70m.
Meanwhile, the one and only relay on the Glasgow program will get underway with Australia’s quartet named for the Mixed 4x400m heats, as Luke Van Ratingen (NSW, Ben Liddy), Mia Gross (VIC, John Nicolosi), Cooper Sherman (VIC, Neville Down) and Jemma Pollard (NSW, Tim Eschebach) look to build on their World Athletics Relays success.
Rounding out proceedings is Eliza Ault-Connell (ACT, Fred Periac, T54) at her fourth Commonwealth Games, where she will race alongside Mikaela Dingley (ACT, Fred Periac, T54) and Aimee Fisher (NSW, Louise Sauvage, T54) at their Australian team debuts in the Women’s 400m T54.
Ault-Connell and Dingley will also race the re-run of the Women’s 1500m T54 Final, which will occur on Friday morning following a successful protest after Ault-Connell was impeded and consequently crashed on the opening turn of the first race on day three.
By Lachlan Moorhouse, Australian Athletics
Posted 31/7/2026
