Sprinter Josh Azzopardi expressed strong disappointment after he was not selected to compete in the 100 meters at the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, which begin next month. Despite finishing second behind Lachie Kennedy at the Australian national championships in April and successfully defending his Oceania 100m title last month, Azzopardi was passed over in favor of Rohan Browning, who secured one of Australia's three individual 100m spots along with Kennedy and Eddie Nketia.

Azzopardi, 26, appealed the decision but was unsuccessful and subsequently voiced his frustration on social media, stating he felt "absolutely robbed" and confused by the selection rationale. At the national championships, Kennedy won the event in 9.96 seconds, followed by Azzopardi's 10.16 seconds and Browning's 10.19 seconds. However, selectors cited Browning's overall experience and personal best time of 10.01 seconds—faster than Azzopardi's personal best of 10.09 seconds—as factors in their decision.

Australian Athletics high-performance director Andrew Faichney acknowledged that the choice was difficult and described the selection as "very tight," highlighting the close performances between the two sprinters. Peter Hamilton, chairman of selectors, characterized the selection as a "gut call," emphasizing that the decision involved considering athletes’ historical performances alongside their current form.

While Azzopardi was not chosen for the individual 100m event, he remains part of the Australian 4x100m relay squad alongside Browning, an event where the team has strong medal prospects.

In related news, sprint prospect Gout Gout, 18, announced he will miss upcoming races in the United States, including the Prefontaine Classic on July 4, due to a recurrent back injury. Gout’s management confirmed that he would take several weeks off for treatment before targeting the World U20 Championships in Eugene, Oregon, in August. Gout had previously elected to skip the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow to focus on the juniors. He showed signs of returning to form earlier this month in a 150m race against Olympic champion Noah Lyles but has continued to experience soreness from an injury sustained during an earlier US training camp.