As Emma McKeon's epic campaign in the pool winds down in Birmingham on Thursday, things are only starting to heat up for one of the Illawarra's brightest track stars.
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Jessica Hull is primed to compete for gold in her pet event, the 1500m, at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, starting with the heats on Friday. It promises to be a great meet for the Albion Park talent, who has lit up the international stage this year.
Hull has twice completed record-breaking runs in 2022. Last month, she became the fastest Australian women over a mile, finishing in 4:19.89, which came on the back of her breaking the Australian women's indoor mile record in February, clocking 4:24.06.
Hull then warmed up for the Comm Games with a strong performance at the recent World Athletics Championship. In a very competitive field for the 1500m final, the 25-year-old finished seventh in 4:01.82, which was an improvement on her 11th placing at the Tokyo Olympics last year.
That performance has set the stage for an even better showing in Birmingham, with perhaps a shot at the podium.
Meanwhile, Wollongong track talent Sarah Carli will make her long-awaited Commonwealth Games debut about 10 months after she first competed at the Olympics. The 27-year-old, who came back from a serious gym accident which cut her carotid artery earlier that year, gained a fifth place in her heat for the 400m hurdles in Tokyo.
Carli will be eager to build upon that promising performance when she hits the track for the 400m hurdles heats on Friday.
Away from the track, there are other Illawarra athletes who can stake their claim for a medal in Birmingham.
Blake Govers and Flynn Ogilvie's Kookaburras have been a dominant force so far and remain well on track for gold, with the finals kicking off this weekend, while Grace Stewart's Hockeyroos have also started their campaign in impressive fashion.
Other locals who will be eyeing off a shot at a medal include Abigail Paduch (judo) and Corey Wedlock (lawn bowls).
The story so far...
There's been plenty of talk about Emma McKeon's record-breaking Commonwealth Games campaign, but she hasn't been the only Illawarra athlete to impress in Birmingham.
Luke Pople created history on Wednesday morning when he led the Australian men's wheelchair basketball team to the first ever 3x3 basketball Games gold medal. Fellow Wollongong Roller Hawk Hannah Dodd picked up silver with the women's wheelchair basketball team.
Figtree-born Para-athlete Jasmine Greenwood clinched her first ever gold in the women's 200m individual medley SM10, while Berry's Tinka Easton showed tenacious spirit to win gold in the women's 52kg judo class.
Over the weekend, Wollongong-based Para-triathlete Jonathan Goerlach and his guide David Mainwaring claimed bronze in the men's PTVI triathlon final.
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