A reigning double Commonwealth Games champion will line up at this year’s event, wearing the colours of a different country, but aiming to retain his titles, while simultaneously snatching them away from the nation he won them for four years ago.
Team England has just revealed its track cycling and para cycling squads for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, and amid the names of those selected to represent England in Glasgow is Matthew Richardson, who already has a brace of Commonwealth Games gold medals and two Olympic silvers, all won in the green and gold of Australia.
This year the 27-year-old track star will be defending his individual and team sprint titles, both won at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, in the white England kit.
“I’m proud to be representing England for the first time at my second Commonwealth Games,” said Richardson, who was born in Britain but competed for Australia, where he grew up, before swapping nationality in August 2024. “I’m so excited to get out there and race for the team and hopefully bring back another gold medal to add to the collection.”
Unlike the Birmingham Games four years ago, there will be no road cycling at the 2026 event, which was originally supposed to take place in Melbourne, Australia, until the host city bailed and the scaled-down event was moved to Glasgow.
However, there will be plenty of track and para-track action during the games, which will take place from 23 July until 2 August 2026, with the cycling happening in the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, which was built for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, and has also hosted European and World Championships.
Katy Marchant celebrates as Gold medal winner during the Women’s Team Sprint, Finals on day ten of the Olympic Games Paris 2024
(Image credit: Getty Images)
While the Commonwealth Games has lost some of its lustre in recent years – even facing existential challenges, with hosting problems, waning public interest and low participation levels from various nations – it remains important to British track riders, given the very limited number of high-level events they can compete in on home turf.
“As you can imagine, we’re hugely in support of the continuation of the Commonwealth Games,” a spokesperson for British Cycling said. “As you can see from our team, it’s a real development opportunity and often riders’ first experience of elite and multi-sport competition, so they’re really excited.”
The Team England squad features a mix of experience and youth, containing 11 previous Commonwealth Games medallists and 14 debutants. Joining Richardson in the men’s sprint group is Olympic silver medallist Hamish Turnbull and Joe Truman, who both took team sprint silver medals in Birmingham, plus debutant Harry Ledingham-Horn.
The women’s sprint line-up features reigning Olympic champions Sophie Capewell and Katy Marchant, who both won gold in the team sprint at Paris 2024, joined by European silver medallist Rhianna Parris-Smith and five-time European junior champion Georgette Rand.
The men’s endurance squad includes multiple-time medallists Charlie Tanfield and Ethan Vernon, who won a silver in the team pursuit alongside Tanfield at both Birmingham 2022 and Paris 2024. Making their Commonwealth debuts are Josh Charlton, Will Tidball, and three-time junior world champion Henry Hobbs.
The women’s endurance programme includes two-time world champion and individual pursuit world record-holder Josie Knight, Maddie Leech (reigning madison world champion, with Katie Archibald) and Sophie Lewis, who took bronze in the team pursuit in Birmingham when racing with Knight and Leech. Grace Lister is back for a second Team England appearance, and debutant Abi Miller completes the squad.
Four-time Paralympic champion Kadeena Cox will make a long-awaited Commonwealth Games debut, having previously missed out through injury and ineligibility. Cox joins a seven-strong para squad that features two-time Paralympic champion Sophie Unwin, back for her second Commonwealth Games with pilot Sylvia Misztal, plus reigning Paralympic champion Lizzi Jordan, Paralympic bronze medallist Matt Robertson and three-time world medallist Morgan Newberry.
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