GLASGOW: Australia became the first country to win 200 Commonwealth Games cycling medals on Saturday as Olympic and world sprint king Usain Bolt arrived to a predictable media scrum.

Australia’s Annette Edmondson won the women’s 10km scratch race gold before Kieran Modra and Jason Niblett grabbed silver in the men’s sprint tandem and compatriots Paul Kennedy and Thomas Clarke captured bronze to take their country to the 200-medal mark.

Edmondson’s gold came just a day after brother Alex had won the 4,000m individual pursuit.

“Finally I’ve matched Alex. I’ve never come home with the gold, it’s always been silver or bronze, so it really means a lot to me,” said Annette Edmondson.

The action on the third day of the Games was overshadowed in the afternoon by the arrival of Jamaican sprint superstar Bolt who will race in the 4x100m relay heats in what will be his first outing of an injury-hit season.

“Yes I’m here to run. I’ll be running, definitely,” said Bolt.

“I finally get the chance to compete in one (Commonwealth Games) so I’m very happy to be here.”

Bolt, world record holder in both the 100 and 200m as well as double Olympic and world champion, said he had not felt under pressure from sponsors to make an appearance in Scotland, and said he would run in the heats of the relay.

Should he not, and his teammates drop the baton, the Jamaican would face the prospect of not even making an appearance on the track at Hampden Park.

“I’ll be running the heats,” Bolt stressed. “I think I need to run because it’s the first race of the season so I really need to get it going.” Canada’s Patricia Bezzoubenko was crowned queen of the Commonwealth Games, completing a five gold medal haul in rhythmic gymnastics.

Bezzoubenko had already won two golds in the team and all-around events and she added three more on Saturday in the clubs, ball and hoop individual disciplines.

The one gold that escaped her grasp was in the ribbon, which went to Francesca Jones giving Wales their first gold medal of the Games.

“I was expecting a good performance but that’s it, no medals, I didn’t think about it. It just worked. It is amazing it is my first Commonwealth Games. I am so proud of my country,” said 27-year-old Bezzoubenko who trains in Russia.

Australian shooter Daniel Repacholi won the men’s 10m air pistol but the toast of the town in that event was third-placed Mick Gault of England who at 60 won a record-equaling 18th Commonwealth Games medal.

“Job done, finished, don’t care anymore. I got the record and I can just relax now,” said Gault.

England swept the triathlon gold medals with victory in the team relay while four-time rugby sevens champion New Zealand crushed Canada 39-0 and then edged Scotland 17-14 to get their title defense under way.

In netball, the two title favorites, Australia and England, played out a group stage thriller which the Australians edged 49-48.

Chandela shines for India

Young Rajasthan girl Apurvi Chandela got India its second gold from the shooting range winning the 10m Air Rifle event as compatriot Ayonika Paul boosted the medal tally with a silver.

Earlier, Prakash Najappa had got a silver in the 10m Air Pistol event as India now have two gold and two silver medals from the range.

21-year-old Chandela led from the beginning shattering the Games Record with a score of 206.7 while Ayonika finished a creditable second with a score of 204.9.

It was only fitting that the Jaipur girl, who started shooting only six years back after watching Abhinav Bindra get gold in the Beijing Olympics, won in the legendary shooter’s pet event.

Ayonika was not in medal contention till the first 10 shots but she was brilliant in the back 10 as she regularly fired 10.5 to 10.7 to improve her position.

Earlier, Nanjappa finished a heart-breaking second in men’s 10m Air Pistol to give India their third medal.

Nanjappa, who won a bronze in the ISSF World Cup in South Korea last year, was leading at the end of the second series of the elimination stage but he apparently lost concentration and shot a disappointing 7.7 to hand the lead to eventual winner Daniel Repacholi of Australia.

Yesterday, India had won a gold in men’s 10m Air Rifle through Abhinav Bindra while Malaika Goel settled for women’s 10m Air Pistol.

In weightlifting, England’s Zoe Smith beat Nigeria’s Ndidi Winifred and Welsh veteran Michaela Breeze to claim gold in the women’s 58kg.