Matthew Hauser claimed Australia’s first medal of the Games when he won bronze in the men's sprint triathlon, with Para-track cycling duo of Jess Gallagher and her pilot Caitlin Ward securing our first gold, not long after.
The Aussies dominated in the pool collecting five gold medals on night one with Ariarne Titmus, Elijah Winnington, Tim Hodge, Zac Stubblety-Cook and the mixed relay team.
Winnington saluted in the first swim final of the Games, the men's 400m freestyle.
And Australia's 4x100m mixed freestyle relay team - Emma McKeon, Mollie O'Callaghan, Kyle Chalmers and William Yang - won gold in the last event of the night.
McKeon is now on the cusp of equalling the Australian record for most career gold medals at Commonwealth Games - she has nine, one shy of Ian Thorpe, Susie O'Neill and Leisel Jones.
"I haven't done the maths ... I'm not looking at medal tallies," McKeon said.
Ariarne Titmus (women's 200m freestyle), Zac Stubblety-Cook (men's 200m breaststroke) and para-swimmer Timothy Hodges (men's 100m backstroke S9) added golden touches for the dominant Dolphins.
Titmus, a month after recovering from COVID, triumphed in an Australian clean sweep of the medals in her final, as did Winnington, who almost quit the sport last year.
The silvers went to Sam Short (men's 400m freestyle), Mollie O'Callaghan (women's 200m freestyle) and Emily Beecroft (women's 100m freestyle S9).
Kiah Melverton (women's 400m individual medley), Mack Horton (men's 400m freestyle) and Madi Wilson (200m freestyle) won bronze medals.
But celebrity swimmer Cody Simpson crashed out of the 50m butterfly, finishing sixth in his semi-final and failing to progress to the final.
Titmus edged her training partner Mollie O'Callaghan by just 0.12 seconds to win a classic shootout between the established and rising stars of Australian swimming.
"I knew coming in she would be there," Titmus said of her 18-year-old teammate O'Callaghan.
"She's young. She's feisty. She's hungry.
"She's what I was like - and I am still like that - but it's exciting to have a bit of a battle out there."
And Winnington's win continues his stirring story of swimming redemption - he almost gave up after bombing at last year's Tokyo Olympics when he entered as raging favourite but finished seventh.
The Queenslander admitted battling depression, feeling like a failure after Tokyo before seeking help from a psychologist and then a mindfulness coach.
Elijah Winnington wins gold during the Men’s 400m Freestyle Final on Day 1 of the Commonwealth Games at Sandwell Aquatics Centre in Birmingham, England. Source: AAP / DAVE HUNT/AAPIMAGE
And now he has added the Commonwealth crown to his collection.
"It was really tough coming off the back of Toyko, I almost quit," Winnington said.
"I decided to keep going and put myself and my mindset in the right spot to achieve what I have achieved this year."
Cyclists win first Australian Games golds
Australia's track cyclists have bulleted to three triumphs in London's Olympic velodrome in a golden start to their Commonwealth Games campaign.
The men's sprint team and the women's pursuit quartet both roared to record-breaking triumphs on Friday.
It came after the remarkable Paralympian Jess Gallagher and her sighted pilot Caitlin Ward kicked off the gold-digging at the scene of the 2012 Olympics by earning Australia's very first gold of the Games in the tandem blind and visually impaired sprint.
Para-sport is fully integrated into the Games.
Still, though, amid the flag-waving, there was a sense of frustration about the end of an era as Australia's flagship men's pursuit foursome failed to make the final at the Games for the first time ever.
They had to settle for a bronze, after winning the race for third against Wales, but a four-medal start at least ensured Australia were in pole position to dominate the track program as they have in the last seven editions.
The evergreen Matt Glaetzer put the seal on the evening, picking up his fourth Commonwealth gold as he brought home the men's team sprint title with a hammering of England's trio after dazzling work from his lead-off man Leigh Hoffman and powerhouse Matt Richardson.
"It really does mean extra for me," said Adelaide's Glaetzer, reflecting on a terrific comeback after needing surgery to fight thyroid cancer and suffering injury woes.
"It's been a tough couple of years but I knew I was capable and wanted to deliver some more medals for Australia."
The trio set a new Commonwealth Games record of 42.042 seconds, after also setting a new mark of 42.222 in the qualifying ride.
Gallagher, at 36, smiled that she was "getting better with age" after she and Ward won their final two races to nil against Scotland.
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Cycling gold rush continues
Already the only Australian to win a medal at the summer and winter Paralympics, she added: "To think I can have an impact on others, inspire them to chase their dreams - whatever part of life - that's an honour for me, very humbling."
Minutes after her win, Georgia Baker, Sophie Edwards, Chloe Moran and Maeve Plouffe blitzed their pursuit final, clocking 4:12.234 to easily beat a New Zealand team, who were effectively down to three competitors because of an earlier injury to one of their key riders, by 5.750.
"Definitely the start of a new era," beamed Baker, the elder stateswoman at 27 next to Edwards (22), Moran and Plouffe (23), predicting that "definitely, we could be world record breakers."
The big shock came with the men's pursuiters, as the Australians had won gold or silver at every edition since the event was added to the Games program in 1974.
Indeed, it was only four years ago the squad broke the world record in Brisbane.
But the new-look, inexperienced quartet of Luke Plapp, Josh Duffy, Conor Leahy and James Moriarty could only qualify third-quickest on Friday morning behind fastest qualifiers New Zealand, who went on to beat England in the final.
Silver medalists from England, gold medalists from Australia and bronze medalists from New Zealand during a medal ceremony for the Men's Team Sprint Gold Final at the Commonwealth Games track cycling. Source: AAP / Ian Walton/AP
What to watch on Day 2 of the Commonwealth Games
Emma McKeon could finish the second night at the Birmingham pool on Saturday as Australia's most successful Commonwealth Games athlete.
McKeon, who won her first gold on the opening night, is in action in the 100m butterfly final, along with fellow Australians Alex Perkins and Brianna Throssell.
There will also be more medal chances at the velodrome.
The Hockeyroos and Diamonds are also in action on a jam-packed day.
Here's some of the event highlights to look forward to:
- Men’s marathon (6pm-8pm AEST)
- Women’s marathon (7.30pm-10pm AEST)
- Para marathons men and women (4pm-6pm AEST)
- Netball: Diamonds vs Scotland (9pm-10.30pm AEST)
- Hockey: Hockeyroos begin campaign against Kenya (11pm-12.30am Sunday AEST)
- Swimming; Medal event (4am-7am Sunday AEST) Chalmers gold chance 50m butterfly; Chelsea Hodges, Jenna Strauch up in 500m breaststroke; 4x100 freestyle relays big chance of gold
- Rugby: day two of competition (women’s semis from 4.42am) (men’s quarters from 5am)
