Australia’s heptathletes will continue their quest for Glasgow glory when the Athletics and Para Athletics program reaches its halfway point on day three, where the sprinting action will be led by Jaydon Page who is gunning for gold.
Mia Scerri (VIC, Ralph Newton) and Tori West (QLD, Sam Leslie & Eric Brown) featured prominently on the opening day of the heptathlon, where Scerri landed herself in the bronze medal position through the first four events on 3560 points.
Commencing the final three events today (long jump, javelin throw, 800m), the 21-year-old is optimistic about her chances, having held on from a similar position to secure her maiden Australian title in April.
“I definitely expected more from myself from the get go, but obviously the conditions weren’t ideal. I’m enjoying it and I’m having a good go,” Scerri said.
Also in contention is West, who sits in fifth place on 3517 points but finds her Achilles heel in the javelin throw, before it’s all down to one final 800m effort to decide the medals.
“Day one was a good indication of my speed,which translates well to long jump. I have a really great opportunity to fix some weak events which I have really been working on,” West said.
Para-sprinter Jaydon Page (ACT, Matt Beckenham) will look to upgrade his silver medal from Birmingham 2022 when he loads into the blocks for the 100m T47 Final, where he will meet one of the most competitive Para Athletics fields of the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
A 10.87-second man at his best, Page will take on key rival Kevin Santos (ENG), while 44-year-old wheelchair racer Eliza Ault-Connell (ACT, Fred Periac) will look to complete her fairytale comeback in the Women’s 1500m T54 having won her first medal at the Commonwealth Games with bronze in 2002. She’ll be joined in the final by debutant Mikaela Dingley (ACT, Fed Periac).
Michal Burian (VIC, Dale Stevenson) will add to the Para-athletics finals when switching the javelin for a discus in the Men’s F42-44/61-64 Discus Final. Also in the field, the Men’s Long Jump Final sees Christopher Mitrevski (VIC, Alex Stewart) and Liam Adcock (QLD, self-coached) set their eyes on the Commonwealth podium – Mitrevski qualifying fourth in the wide-open affair.
Australia will field a female shot putter for the first time in a long time as 20-year-old Marley Raikiwasa (SA, Joe Riccio) continues her ascendency, having won World Under 20 bronze in the discus in 2024, while Cara Feain-Ryan (QLD, Ben Norton) will look to add to the nation’s golden middle-distance streak when racing in the Women’s 3000m Steeplechase.
The most anticipated event of the championships will also get underway as the heats of the Men’s Mile are run in the morning session, where Cameron Myers (ACT, Dick Telford) will commence his run for gold alongside defending champion Oliver Hoare (NSW, Dathan Ritzenhien) and Adam Spencer (VIC, Tomasz Lewandowski).
Mia Gross (VIC, John Nicolosi) and Monique Hanlon (QLD, Luke Donatini) will fly the flag for Australia in the Women’s 200m heats, where Lachlan Kennedy (QLD, Andrew Iselin) will also step up to the distance but will be the only Australian man in action with Aidan Murphy (SA, Nik Hagicostas) and Calab Law (QLD, Andrew Iselin) already progressed to tomorrow’s semi-finals as two of the top-eight ranked athletes.
Five-time Australian champion Sarah Carli (NSW, Abbie Taddeo) is poised to feature prominently in the first round of the Women’s 400m Hurdles, where she will race for a ticket to the final as Matthew Hunt (NSW, Ben Liddy) prepares to contest the event for the men.
Australian record holder Sarah Billings (VIC, Nic Bideau) will be out to replicate her heat win in tonight’s 800m semi-finals which looms as one of the hottest tickets in Glasgow, while closing out proceedings will be Para-sprinter Nathan Jason (QLD, Vincent Jason) who opens his campaign in the first round of the 100m T12.
By Lachlan Moorhouse, Australian Athletics
Posted 29/7/2026
