Georgia Baker approaches her sixth major multi-sport event spanning a decade and four continents with the same excitement and anticipation as her first.

A veteran of Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo and Paris, the 31-year-old Launceston cyclist will reach a similar tally of Commonwealth Games as a reigning triple gold medallist showing no signs of leaving the global stage any time soon.

“When I actually stop and think about it, I'm like, ‘Wow, I've been to a few Commonwealth and Olympic Games now’,” Baker said a month out from the 2026 Games in Glasgow.

“I think one of the hardest things as an athlete, especially when you're still competing, is taking the time to reflect. You're always chasing the next goal, the next race or the next opportunity, so you don't really stop and appreciate what you've done. I've definitely got better at that over the years.

“I try to take it all in a bit more, be proud of what I've achieved and enjoy those moments, but it's not always easy because professional sport moves so fast and your mind is always on what's next.

“Every time I get to pull on the green and gold, I feel incredibly proud, and it's something I'll never take for granted. At the moment though I have my eyes on the competition, so my focus is on doing the best I can for Australia. Hopefully, once these Games are finished, I'll have a chance to look back, soak it all in, and appreciate just how special it's been.”

After a low-key Commonwealth Games debut in 2018 on the Gold Coast in which she finished 21st in the women's 25km points race, Baker made the Birmingham event her own, leaving with gold medals in the team pursuit, points race and road race to earn herself the 2022 Tasmanian Athlete of the Year award.

She said she learned plenty from both previous Commonwealth Games experiences.

“After the Gold Coast Games, I was incredibly motivated to achieve more. I only competed in the points race, while my teammates won gold in the team pursuit, which inspired me to earn my place on the team pursuit squad for the next Games.

“Birmingham was one of the highlights of my career. We won gold in the team pursuit, broke the Australian record, and I was also fortunate enough to win gold in both the points race and the road race. Those achievements are memories I’ll always cherish. This time will be different without road cycling on the Commonwealth Games program, but that doesn’t diminish the opportunity ahead. If we can deliver the same level of performance on the velodrome, we should be incredibly proud of what we achieve together.”

Denied the chance to defend her road race title, Baker’s focus will be entirely on the track where she has been both a junior and senior world champion.

“Glasgow definitely feels like a scaled-down version, but they've done a great job stepping in to host. I think it's hard to know exactly how different it will feel until we're actually there. Right now, though, we're very focused on our performances and doing everything we can to achieve great results for Australia.”

Baker has fond memories of Scotland’s Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome having won two world championship silver medals there in 2023.

“Both my teammates and I have had some great results in Glasgow. It's always an added bonus and a confidence boost to return to a velodrome where you've had success before. Those positive memories and the energy you associate with the place can definitely give you extra belief heading into competition.”

Australia’s women’s track cycling endurance squad will also include South Australian Sophie Edwards, 26 (who also won gold in the team pursuit in 2022), Alyssa Polites, 23, of Victoria, Claudia Marcks, 22, of ACT, and Glendevie’s Felicity Wilson-Haffenden, 20.

“It's great having another Tasmanian on the endurance squad,” Baker said.

“I haven't spent a huge amount of time with Fliss because we live in different countries in Europe, but we usually catch up when we're both back home in Tasmania. No doubt over the coming years we'll get to spend even more time together.

“Fliss is so strong and very deserving of her spot in the Comm Games team. I'm excited to line up alongside her, she is a key part of the team pursuit squad.”

Baker is guaranteed plenty of support in Scotland and would love to give her loyal followers an excuse to also visit Los Angeles for the 2028 Olympic Games.

“My mum is coming over to Glasgow again, which is really special. I’ll also have my partner, Hamish, and my best friend, Kearna, along with her partner, Kez, there to support me. I feel incredibly fortunate to have such an amazing support network and that they’re able to travel to be there in person.

“Even when family and friends back home in Tasmania can’t be there, I always feel their support from afar. Having those closest to me there in person, while also knowing I have so many people cheering me on from home, is something I’m truly grateful for.”

Launceston-born Baker has become adept at balancing track commitments with an extensive road career in which she has represented Wiggle-Honda (2015), High5 Dream Team (2016), Orica-Scott (2017), TIS Racing (2018), BikeExchange-Jayco (2022) and Jayco AlUla (2023-26).

“My current contract is on the road, so a lot of my time is spent training and racing in Europe,” she said.

“After Paris 2024, I really needed to take a year to mentally step away, reset and regather myself. That said, the Commonwealth Games has always remained firmly in my vision for 2026.

“In the coming years, leading into LA, I plan to balance both track and road more closely.”