Australia has asserted its dominance in the 2010 Commonwealth Games track cycling program with a clean sweep of the gold medals on the first night of competition at Indira Gandhi Sports Complex.

Australia, led by AIS stalwart Anna Meares, won three gold medals, one silver and one bronze in a dominant display that sets the tone for the remaining three days of track cycling.

Meares , 27, was first to claim gold as she defended her women’s 500m time trial Commonwealth title from Melbourne, in the process smashing the previous Commonwealth Games record by half a second.

Meares crossed the line in 33.758, more than a second clear of AIS and Australian team mate Kaarle McCulloch, while Becky James of Wales won the bronze medal.
Meares’ win continues the legacy that herself and sister Kerrie have set up in the event, following Kerrie’s win in 2002.

Scott Sunderland followed up Meares with a scintillating performance in the men’s 1km time trial. The 22-year-old from Perth was the last rider to take to the velodrome and burst off the line to hold a one second lead after just one lap of the 250 metre circuit.

The young AIS athlete upped the pace even further during the next lap to hold a 1.5 second advantage over the field, a margin that he maintained in the penultimate lap. When Sunderland crossed the line he had better Sir Chris Hoy’s Commonwealth mark in a time of 1:01.411. Malaysian Mohd Rizal Tisin won the silver medal, while New Zealand’s Eddie Dawkins took bronze.
Former AIS cyclist and 2009 AIS Athlete of the Year, Jack Bobridge, claimed Australia’s third gold medal of the evening with an equally impressive performance in the men’s 4km individual pursuit.

Bobridge, who took up a professional contract with Team Garmins-Tranisition in 2010, showed experience beyond his 21 years to set the quickest time in qualifying before controlling the majority of his final against New Zealand’s Jesse Sergent.

Bobridge had a quick start in the 16 lap race and established more than a second lead over the gold medal favourite from New Zealand. Bobridge slowly extended the lead before the halfway mark of the race before Sergent aimed to track the South Australian down.

Sergent began peeling time off Bobridge as the lap numbers came down, but Bobridge, battling fatigue in the closing stages held off for a famous gold medal in a time of 4:17.495, 0.398 seconds ahead of Sergent.

AIS’s Michael Hepburn completed the perfect day on the track for Australia as he claimed the bronze medal in the 4km time trial.