Matt Richardson drew first blood in his British debut at the world track cycling championships as Australia won two medals and confirmed a ride-off for gold.
A new-look men's team pursuit squad repeated their Paris Olympics triumph, winning the round-one match race against arch-rivals Great Britain on day one of the worlds in Santiago, Chile.
That put Australia into the gold-medal ride against Denmark, who will start favourites after posting the fastest times in the opening two rounds.
Richardson, who sensationally defected from Australia to Great Britain after winning three medals at the Paris Games, won silver in the team sprint.
Australian Leigh Hoffman, who won bronze in the team sprint at Paris, combined with Daniel Barber and Daniel Elliott to beat France in the ride-off for third.
"We didn't really know what to expect in terms of our times," Elliott said.
"In moments, we were probably hoping for a little more. But at the end of the day, you race for medals and we're happy to come home with one.
"We've definitely had to be flexible over the last 12 months but I think we've found our core group at the moment."
The Dutch, who dominated the men's sprint events at the Paris Olympic velodrome, beat Great Britain to win gold.
Kristine Perkins, the wife of Australian Olympic track cyclist Shane Perkins, had a big milestone in her comeback to competition when she teamed with Alessia McCaig and Molly McGill to beat Poland for bronze in the women's team sprint.
"This is a different team from last year so to finish on the podium is very special for us," McGill said.
"It's very exciting times for our squad, we have a great group of girls who are all capable of being in this team.
"It's a very positive step forward for our pathway and I'm looking forward to the future of Australian women's team sprint."
The Netherlands also beat Great Britain in the women's final.
Paris gold medallists Conor Leahy and Oliver Bleddyn combined with Blake Agnoletto and Liam Walsh to qualify second-fastest in the team pursuit.
They then led the British throughout their first-round heat and again rode the second-fastest time to reach the final against Denmark.
Australia beat Great Britain in a rivetting final last year to win their first men's Olympic team pursuit gold medal for 20 years.
Alex Manly, Maeve Plouffe, Alyssa Polites and Sophie Edwards qualified fourth-fastest in the women's team pursuit. They will face Italy on day two in the first round, ahead of the medal round.
Dutch star Lorena Wiebes switched from the road to win the scratch race title, with Australian Claudia Marcks finishing 18th.
