The La Trobe Masters of Physiotherapy Practice student has been selected as one of 86 athletes to represent the Australian Athletics Team at Glasgow 2026 in the Men’s 400 metres event.
Reynolds’ selection for the Commonwealth Games comes on the back of a series of impressive performances throughout 2026. Across the first quarter of the year, the 21-year-old ran a personal best 45.17 seconds for the 400 metres to place second at the Capital Athletics Open and Under 20 Championships in Canberra, before lowering his personal best again in March to 45.13 seconds at the Maurie Plant Meet.
A month later in April, Reynolds placed third in the Men’s 400 metres final at the 2026 Australian Athletics Championships. Selection for the Australian team to compete at the 2026 World Athletics Relays in Botswana followed, where he was part of the Australian mixed 4 x 400m relay team which set an Oceanian record of 3:10.57 on the opening day. The following day, Reynolds was a member of Australia’s Men's 4 x 400m team which ran a national record 2:55.20 to win the bronze medal and move to sixth on the world all-time list. His impressive year to date was capped off with a silver medal in the Men’s 400m at the Oceania Athletics Championships.
As a professional athlete, Reynolds takes on a busy lifestyle juggling study and athletics through the support of the La Trobe Elite Athlete Program, which assists him in fulfilling his sporting commitments while pursuing his academic career.
Having completed a Bachelor of Health Science at La Trobe in 2025, Reynolds has now turned his attention to undertaking a Masters of Physiotherapy Practice at La Trobe’s Melbourne Campus. His achievements in sport and academia were recognised at the 2024 Blues Sport Awards, where he was presented with a prestigious University Blue and named as a recipient of the Sportsperson of the Year Award for 2024.
Reynolds, who also represented La Trobe on the world stage at last year’s FISU Summer World University Games in Rhine-Ruhr, has previously credited the support received by the University as a key component of his success both on and off the running track.
“The biggest thing for me is if you’re overseas and you need to get your assessment dates changed or catered for what you can achieve, (the University) has been really supportive in that regard,” Reynolds said.
“They (La Trobe) really understand. I know a lot of other uni’s don’t (offer the same level of flexibility), so they’re really supportive of your sport.”
To keep track of Thomas’ progress at the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, make sure you are following La Trobe Sport on Facebook and Instagram.
For more information on the La Trobe Elite Athlete Program, visit the La Trobe Sport website.
