New Delhi, Oct 5 (IANS) Formidable Australia dominated the pool to establish early lead in the medal contest on day one of the 19th Commonwealth Games here Monday.

Besides claiming three gold in swimming, the Australians picked up another in men's team event of artistic gymnastics to move atop the chart with four gold and two silver, as the focus shifted to the sporting arena after the breathtaking opening of the Games Sunday night.

Canada was second with a haul of one gold and three bronze medals, followed by South Africa with a gold and bronze each.

Malaysia clinched the yellow metal in men's weightlifting while Nigeria won the honours in women's category of the same discipline on a day when eight gold medals were decided.

Alicia Coutts of Australia established a Games record in women's 200m Individual Medley clocking 02:09.70 on way to the gold, while her compatriot Kylie Jayne Palmer had a top podium finish in 200m freestyle by completing the distace in 01:57.50.

The Aussies also set up a new Games record on way to winning the men's 4x 100m Freestyle with a timing of 03:13.92, while Canada's Ryan Andrew Cochrane claimed the first position in 400m men's freestyle at the S.P. Mukherjee Swimming Complex.
The other swimming gold went to South Africa's Chad Guy Dertrand in men's 200m Butterfly.

In the weightlifting arena, Augustina Nwawaokolo of Nigeria raised an overall 175 kg to get the gold in women's 46 kg alognside creating a Games record, while Malaysia's Amirul Hamizan picked up the gold in Men's 56kg by raising 257 kg overall.