Olympics: Chinese women win maiden team gymnastics gold

Wednesday, 13 August 2008

BEIJING - China won its first women's team gymnastics Olympic gold medal Wednesday capitalising on a mistake-ridden US performance before an enthralled audience at Beijing's National Indoor Stadium.

The win avenged China's narrow loss to the United States at last year's world championships and added to the team gold claimed by the home nation's men's team on Tuesday.

Defending Olympic champion Romania won bronze but looked a shadow of the side that won four women's gymnastics gold medals in Atlanta four years ago.

China finished on 188.9 points, 2.375 points ahead of the United States on 186.525, with Romania on 181.525.

With eight teams in the finals, China and the United States were paired together as they went through the four women's apparatus, making for high drama as the teams slugged it out head-to-head for the Olympic title.

They began on the vault, an apparatus seen as a strength for a Chinese team featuring world champion Cheng Fei.

Cheng managed a 16.0 but US star Shawn Johnson matched her and the United States took a 0.6 point lead into the second round.

Next up were the uneven bars, where both team faltered during the qualification rounds, including a trip on landing from Nastia Liukin of the United States.

She did not repeat her mistake in the final, scoring 16.9 to put the United States in a strong position.

The 18,000 strong crowd at the National Indoor Stadium, which created a wall of sound as the Chinese men's team stormed to gold on Tuesday, tried to lift their team with chants of "China, China".

It paid off as He Kexhin, who fell off in the qualifiers, was awarded 16.85 for a routine that helped give China a lead of 1.125 at the halfway point.

But disaster struck in the next round when Cheng Fei fell off the balance beam and received just 15.15, although Deng Linlin almost made up for it with a eye-catching routine that scored 15.925.

Cheng's mistake gave a United States team containing Nastia Liukin, the world champion on the beam, the chance to establish a decisive lead but they blew it when Alicia Sacramone fell off attempting a jumping mount and received 15.1.

Luikin scored 15.975 and Johnson 16.175 but China remained 1.0 points ahead going into the final apparatus, the excercise floor, regarded as a US stronghold.

But Sacramone again fell over and scored 14.125, while Liukin and Johnson both stepped out of bounds.

Strong performances from Deng Linlin and Jiang Yuyuan meant Cheng needed just 13.075 to seal gold and make amends for her earlier error.

A hush fell over the crowd as she prepared for her routine, erupting into a roar of approval after a dynamic performance to traditional Chinese music that was awarded 15.45 and clinched the gold.