Orlando scored 54.625 points, with Malaysia's Durratun Rosli second with 50.825 and Canada's Yana Tsikaridze third with 49.575.
"Rope was my best routine, but it's usually my worst apparatus, so I'm pretty happy," Orlando said. "I was disappointed with my clubs routine, because I rarely drop them. The performance was so unlike me. It fired me up for my ribbon routine, just to concentrate and just to get out there and go for it."
Rosli, 17, was competing at her first Commonwealth Games.
The Zambian Commonwealth Games team got more than they bargained for during a trip to the beach when two of their athletes had to be rescued by lifeguards.
The athletes were out swimming on Thursday in the surf at a Melbourne beach when they drifted some 40m offshore before they had to be rescued.
Lifesaving operations general manager Brett Ellis said the athletes from the landlocked central African country appeared unprepared for the tidal movements.
"The whole Zambian games team was visiting the Anglesea beach and it was thought they had never seen the ocean before," Ellis said.
REFLECTIONS OF A WALKER
Steve Partington has competed in long distance walking events at six Commonwealth Games, and never won a medal. Why keeping doing it? Even he couldn't tell you.
"It's a stupid event. We're all stupid for doing it," Partington said after spending more than 4 hours, 25 minutes and 39 seconds circling the course in Melbourne to finish sixth of seven racers who completed the 50km walk.
Partington, 40, who took up the sport more than 20 years ago, was almost one hour behind gold medal winner Nathan Deakes of Australia, who also won the 20km event.
"At least Nathan Deakes gets something out of it," Partington said.
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