Montag wins her third Commonwealth Games title

Jemima Montag ended the toughest 12 months of her athletic career by earning the sweetest of rewards, when successfully defending her Commonwealth Games women’s 10km race walking title last Saturday in Glasgow with a PB time.

The 28-year-old Jewish Melburnian clocked 42:13.40 at Scotstoun Stadium, breaking the Commonwealth Games record she herself set four years earlier in Birmingham, and leading an Australian clean sweep on the podium.

Teammate Elizabeth McMillen, who led for nearly 23 of the 25 laps of the 400m oval track course, earned silver in 42:39.87, and Rebecca Henderson claimed bronze in 43:27.46.

India’s Priyanka finished fourth in 45:53.93, ahead of Kenya’s Silvia Komby, while India’s Ravina was disqualified mid-race.

It was Montag’s third consecutive Commonwealth Games gold in the event, following her victories on debut in the Gold Coast in 2018, and in Birmingham in 2022 – a feat only equalled by Jane Saville.

In cool, windy conditions, Montag executed the perfect race strategy, tucking in behind her taller competitor McMillen for most of the race.

“I’m five foot nothing, so most people are a good wind break for me,” Montag said in a post-race live interview during the Channel 7 prime time broadcast.

Despite two red warning cards for technique infringements – a third would have meant disqualification – Montag trusted her instincts, surging clear with just over two laps remaining to win comfortably.

“I’ve learned my craft over a couple of Olympic cycles now – to be patient – and when it’s time to win, do it decisively.”

The result caps a remarkable 12-month turnaround for Montag, who had torn a hamstring for the first time in her career – an injury that required surgery and follow-up treatments that ruled her out of the 2025 world championships, and all racing until as recently as late April.

Once fully recovered, she put in the hard work to prepare herself as best she could by doing altitude training, and attending a gruelling pre-Games preparation block in Switzerland.

“It’s been a really rough year,” she said, adding that her improving Australian rivals meant she took nothing for granted in Glasgow.

“I knew I had to be on my absolute A-game today, and I never underestimated how strong the other Aussies are.”

The dual 2024 Olympic bronze medallist and Maccabi Victoria Athletics Club life member said the win belonged as much to her support team as to her, including her coach Brett Valance – whom she could recall “hearing over the crowd” – her physical and mental trainers, and last but not least her parents Amanda and Ray – who travelled to Glasgow – her sisters Piper and Andie, and Dan Friedman, whom she married in Melbourne on December 14.

“Sport is a unique container in which to learn invaluable life skills,” she wrote on Instagram on August 2 during a well-earned day of sightseeing.

“The highs are exhilarating, the challenges are inevitable, but if you can surround yourself with a strong team, open to the iterative cycle of fail-learn-improve, you can overcome just about anything.”

Earlier at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, Sydney’s Joshua Katz earned silver in the men’s U60kg judo competition, and Melbourne’s Ashley Kolomoisky, who only recently turned 20, had a memorable Commonwealth Games debut when placing fifth out of 10 in the women’s 58kg bodyweight division, and nailing new PB lifts and Oceania and Australian age records.

And retired Australian Paralympian swimmer Matt Levy – who won gold at the 2018 and 2022 Commonwealth Games – had the honour of being a carrier of the Commonwealth Games flag during the opening ceremony in Glasgow, and also was a presenter at para-swimming medal presentations.