By Scott Dougal, PA International

Victoria Pendleton missed out on a Commonwealth medal in the women's sprint tonight after losing to two Australian sisters in successive contests.

The Hitchin-born rider lost the semi-final to Kerrie Meares, gold medallist in the 500m time trial and eventual winner tonight, then lost the bronze final race to younger sibling Anna.

A medal place was always going to be a tall order for Pendleton in the face of international-class competition - the elder Meares won gold in the 500m time-trial here on Sunday.

The 21-year-old Pendleton, who recently completed a sports science degree in Newcastle, didn't expect to even qualify for the Games and was not far short of astonished to find herself in the last four - albeit only in a seven-strong field.

Her inexperience showed as she was outclassed in the first of the best of three contest.

As the Hitchin rider accelerated into the final lap, Meares simply coasted over the top of her, comfortably going one-up in the series.

Pendleton had a fraught moment in the second lap of the second race, hitting the barrier at the top of the track under pressure from Meares who beat her to the line again.

The Australian was warned for crowding her opponent but the result stood.

Pendleton said: "I'm glad I'm still upright. There was about four seconds there when I thought: 'I'm lying down!'

"She wasn't giving me a lot of space."

That Meares chose not to take advantage of Pendleton's wobble perhaps suggested that the Australian was toying with her English opponent.

Meares's younger sister Anna was beaten in the other semi-final by Lori-Ann Muenzer of Canada - a bronze medallist in the time-trial.

And Anna dealt with Pendleton in two races in the bronze final.

The gold/silver final was a much closer affair but it was the senior Meares who once again came out on top.