Olympic bronze medallists Maddison Keeney and Anabelle Smith have won the 3-metre synchro gold medal on the opening day of the 2018 Commonwealth Games qualification event on the Gold Coast.

Keeney and Smith, who also won bronze in the same event at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, have put themselves into the box seat to be nominated for selection for next year’s Games.

They finished with a combined score from the preliminary and final round of 628.41, ahead of the Glasgow teammates, Esther Qin and Georgia Sheehan, on 576.60.

South Australian teenager Matthew Carter has put himself into contention for Commonwealth Games selection after winning the men’s 1-metre event.

Carter finished on 762.20 combined points, ahead of NSW’s Kurtis Mathews on 706.40, with two-time Olympian, James Connor, just behind in third on 705.85.

The absence of three-time Commonwealth Games medallist, Melissa Wu, with a back injury through the women’s platform synchro event wide open.

Rio Olympian, Brittany O’Brien, and Victorian AnnaRose Keating took the honours with 300.39, with WA’s Nikita Hains and Queensland’s Emily Meaney second on 275.16.

Wu and her regular synchro partner, Taneka Kovchenko, have asked for special consideration because of Wu’s injury.

The Commonwealth Games selection trials will continue on Friday at the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre, the diving venue for next year’s Games.

The men’s 3-metre and women’s platform event will both be decided.