To our sporting community,
When I watched VIS Para athlete Thomas McGough line up for the T38 100m in Glasgow, I was reminded again why the VIS exists. At just 15 years old, Tom was one of the youngest men in the Australian athletics team, and after an impressive run he finished fourth. His journey from the Future Green and Gold Talent Search, through our multisport program and into the VIS Para Unit, says as much about the systems around our athletes as it does about him. That’s the promise the VIS has kept for 36 years: empowering athletes to succeed in sport and life.
That promise came to life across Glasgow 2026. Forty-nine VIS supported athletes represented Australia across eight sports, contributing 32 medals to Australia’s tally of 171, including some incredible gold medal performances. Kate McDonald (uneven bars) and Breanna Scott (balance beam) took individual golds, then joined Emily Whitehead to help the women’s artistic gymnastics team claim the top spot for the first time in 16 years. Sam Williamson added three medals in the 50m and 100m breaststroke and the men’s 4x100m medley relay, where he was joined by debutant Henry Allan. Tomas Klein helped Australia defend its Birmingham title in wheelchair 3×3 basketball. Tara Neyland set a world record on her way to claiming gold in the women’s C4 1km Time Trial in Para cycling. On the track, Jemima Montag completed the three-peat in the women’s 10,000m race walk and Abbey Caldwell led the Aussie clean sweep of the podium in the women’s mile.
Every medal reflects years of work from athletes, coaches and support staff alike.
Eleven VIS staff also supported Team Australia in Glasgow, bringing Victorian high performance expertise onto the world stage.
Tom’s story is really Victoria’s story. A 15-year-old lined up in Glasgow because a scholarship, a world-class support team and a pathway existed to showcase his incredible talent, and that’s true of every athlete at the VIS, medallist or not. Our job is to keep building the systems that make moments like his possible, not just for this Games cycle but for the ones still to come.
Our winter story continued this year too: VIS scholarship holder Dean Hewitt and teammate Tahli Gill became Australia’s first curling world champions, winning the World Mixed Doubles title in Geneva, a powerful comeback after narrowly missing Olympic qualification.
The performances tell one part of the story; the changes behind the scenes tell the rest.
In June, we opened Australia’s first permanent First Nations Yarning Circle at a high performance institute, on Bunurong Country at Lakeside Stadium. We marked the occasion with a Welcome to Country, a Smoking Ceremony and our inaugural First Yarn, joined by leaders including Cathy Freeman AC and Kyle Vander-Kuyp OLY.
The VIS also recently hosted its second annual Friends of Parliament event, welcoming Members of Parliament to celebrate the 2026 successes of our athletes and staff. Athletes brought along their medals for guests to hold and, in some cases, wear!
Looking ahead, we’ll back athletes into their next campaigns, prepare them for upcoming world championships, and recognise outstanding contributions at the VIS Award of Excellence. Thank you to the Victorian Government and our sporting partners for championing our athletes as we move ever closer to a home Games in 2032. Together, we’ll turn high expectations into a lasting legacy for sport, communities and Victoria.
Nicole Livingstone AO
Chief Executive Officer
Victorian Institute of Sport
