CWG 2026: Australia continue to rule with three gold in cycling

Glasgow, July 31 (IANS/GURPUNEET SIDHU) Ryan Elliott, Leigh Hoffman and Daniel Barber surge to the final gold of the evening in the Men’s Team Sprint as Australia dominated the proceedings at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome. This was Australia’s third gold of the evening.

The England trio of Joe Truman, Hamish Turnbull and Harry Ledingham-Horn couldn’t keep up with the Aussies and had to settle for silver.

The bronze medal race unfortunately couldn’t take place with Welsh rider Ioan Hepburn suffering a medical situation on the start line, so Trinidad & Tobago pick up bronze – their first cycling medal of the Games.

It’s been a strong start to the Track Cycling and Para Track Cycling for Australia, who collected three golds, two silvers and one bronze medal in Thursday’s seven finals at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome.

Wales trio sprint to first gold

Wales collect their first gold in the velodrome as Lowri Thomas, Emma Finucane and Rhian Edwards storm back on the last two laps to win the Women’s Team Sprint in a new Commonwealth Games record of 46.760secs, having taken bronze at Birmingham 2022.

Wales’ gold came after a silver and bronze earlier in the evening.

England’s Rhianna Parris-Smith, Sophie Capewell, Katy Marchant have to settle for silver, with the Scotland trio of Maddy Silcock, Iona Margaret Moir and Lauren Bell taking bronze.

England qualified second for the 4000m Team Pursuit gold, two seconds adrift of Australia, but came back to smash the Commonwealth Games record, setting a new mark of 3:47.092 to beat Australia into silver. New Zealand’s quartet edged Wales to take bronze.

Tara Neyland won Australia’s second gold in the velodrome on Thursday as they went for the world record in the Women’s C4-C5 4000m Individual Pursuit.

Nicole Murray of New Zealand set a new C5 world record of 5:06.199 to take bronze. Morgan Newberry (ENG) promptly took almost half a second off the mark to win silver in a new C5 record of 5:05.764.

But Neyland (AUS), in the C4 class, upstaged them both to claim the gold medal in 4:46.614.

Kiwi sprints to Tandem B gold

Emma Foy of New Zealand and her pilot Jessie Hodges recovered from losing the opening race of the Women’s Tandem B Sprint to win the best-of-three final in the decider.

Australia’s Jessica Gallagher, riding with her pilot Jacqueline Mengler-Mohr, won the opener before the two teams collided in the second and crashed onto the track. Mercifully, no one was hurt, and the race was re-run, Foy and Hodges taking it to force the decider.

Elizabeth Jordan of England and pilot Sylvia Misztal won bronze, with Sophie Unwin (ENG) and her pilot Anna Whitworth-Hay having to settle for fourth.

Australia set Games record in Women’s Team Pursuit

A titanic trans-Tasman tussle on the track sees Australia’s quartet beat New Zealand in the Women’s 4000m Team Pursuit final in a new Commonwealth Games record of 4:10.658. Wales beat England to take the bronze.

There was a record-breaking sixth Commonwealth Games gold for Scotland’s Neil Fachie – now the hosts’ most successful Games athlete of all time – in the Men’s Tandem B 1000m Time Trial.

England, Wales and New Zealand also picked up a gold apiece.

There’ll be another seven on offer on Friday, when the highlights include Great Britain’s Olympic medal-winning trio of Katy Marchant (ENG), Sophie Capewell (ENG) and Emma Funicane (WAL) going head-to-head in the Women’s Sprint.

Results:

Men’s Team Sprint

1. Australia

2. England

3. Trinidad & Tobago

Women’s Team Sprint

1. Wales

2. England

3. Scotland

4000m Team Pursuit

1. England

2. Australia

3. New Zealand

Women’s C4-C5 4000m Individual Pursuit

1. Tara Neyland (AUS)

2. Morgan Newberry (ENG)

3. Nicole Murray (NZL)

Women’s Tandem B Sprint

1. Emma Foy (NZL)

2. Jessica Gallagher (AUS)

3. Elizabeth Jordan (ENG)

Women’s 4000m Team Pursuit

1. Australia

2. New Zealand

3. Wales

—