Russia wins group rhythmic gymnastics gold

Russia won their third successive Olympic rhythmic gymnastics group gold with two dynamic and intricately choreographed routines on Sunday.

Their flawless exhibition of agility and dexterity earned them 35.550 points, 0.325 more than surprise silver medalists China. Belarus took the bronze.

"We are simply overwhelmed by emotions," Elena Posevina, who was also part of Russia's 2004 gold-winning team, told a news conference.

"It took a lot of training, it's been a long road. We have yet to fully comprehend the significance of this gold."

While world champions Russia were always expected to win, the real shock was China's classy display to claim silver and become the first non-European team to win a group medal in the discipline.

"The silver medal is unexpected. It means that all our efforts paid off," China's Zhang Shuo said. "This is the most glorious day for rhythmic gymnastics in China."

Russia led after their first routine, an exciting series of jumps and pivots using five ropes to the frenzied beat of one of the best known Russian tunes, "Kalinka", which earned 17.750.

They followed it up with the top score of the day of 17.800 for a beautiful display of synchronized pirouettes and innovative throws of their clubs and hoops.

The victory underlined their dominance in the discipline and followed Russian Evgeniya Kanaeva's gold in the individual all-around event on Saturday.

China drew the biggest cheers of the day, having upset the odds to outclass the likes of Athens silver and bronze medalists Italy (fourth) and Bulgaria (fifth).

The Olympic hosts had finished ninth at the last world championships but sounded a warning to their rivals in Beijing when they qualified in third place for the eight-team final.

They were third after the first routine but then edged ahead of Belarus with a theatrical hoop and club routine to the aptly named "Peking Opera" to capitalize on a mistake by their rivals.

IOC says China Games leave positive legacy

China basked in the glow of their 50th gold medal and got a clear thumbs-up from International Olympic Committee on the last day of the Games on Sunday.

The IOC brushed aside criticism of its decision to hold the Games in China. It said Olympics could not solve all the world's problems, but argued they had left a positive legacy for China.

The United States was less enthusiastic, pressing for the immediate release of eight Americans detained for staging protests in favor of Tibetan independence during the Games.

"We are disappointed that China has not used the occasion of the Olympics to demonstrate greater tolerance and openness," the U.S. Embassy said in a statement.

On the final day of competition, Kenya's Sammy Wanjiru led an African sweep of marathon medals, lifting his arms in triumph as he accelerated around the Bird's Nest stadium for the last lap.

There was emotion too for the American men's volleyball team, settling a score against Brazil who had beaten their compatriots in the women's final the previous day.

The team's determination to win final-day glory had also been reinforced when the father-in-law of the team's coach was stabbed and killed in Beijing on the first day of the Games.

China celebrated their 50th gold, a surprise win by Zou Shiming in the boxing ring, the first time that landmark had been reached since the Soviet Union got 55 golds in Seoul in 1988.

The hosts plan a closing extravaganza later when they will hand over the Olympic flag to 2012 hosts Britain.

They will be pleased with the IOC's verdict. President Jacques Rogge praised an "impeccable" operation that had set the bar very high for London in 2012.

He said the sporting body could not force change on a sovereign state "or solve all the ills of the world". Nevertheless, the host country had been "scrutinized" by the world and had opened itself up, he said.

"The world learned more about China, and China learned more about the rest of the world. And together, we shared the excitement and drama of the Games," Rogge said.

The government was intending to invest heavily in mass sports to harness popular enthusiasm, he said, while the Games had also promoted a heightened awareness of the environment in China.

Rogge, though, had less to say when confronted with the tale of two women in their seventies, who were sentenced to a year's re-education for applying to stage a protest during the Games.

"The reply we received from authorities was that this was an application of Chinese law," he said. "The IOC is not a sovereign organisation and we have to respect Chinese law."

Beijing's polluted air had been one of the biggest concerns in the run-up, and health concerns led Ethiopian world record holder Haile Gebreselassie to pull out of the men's marathon.

In the end, those fears appeared largely unfounded when the race was held, after the government spent billions to clean the air in recent months and an overnight storm did the rest.

Running under blue skies, Wanjiru crossed himself and sank to his knees after finishing in an Olympic record time of two hours six minutes 32 seconds, looking fresh despite the heat and sealing a fifth gold for his country in athletics.

"I pushed and pushed, I had to, to tire the others," Wanjiru said. "My plan was to push my body to the limits."

Despite their pedigree of distance running and big-city marathon wins, it was Kenya's first Olympic marathon title. Morocco won the silver, Ethiopia the bronze.

The race began in the capital's massive Tiananmen Square, symbol of Communist rule, site of Mao Zedong's mausoleum and of pro-democracy protests in 1989. It ended in the Bird's Nest, symbol of China's modern face.

REDEMPTION FOR U.S. BASKETBALL?

In the other highlights of Day 16, Russia won golds in men's boxing and the women's group rhythmic gymnastics to cement third place in the medals table.

Shiming won light-flyweight boxing for China and said he was "proud to show the strength of the Chinese people with my fist".

Later, the Americans are hoping for redemption in the men's basketball final, with the giants of the NBA expected to beat Spain to win the gold that eluded them at the 2004 Athens Games.

Victory would bring the United States up to 36 golds, level with their table-topping haul in Athens, but way behind China.

With one fifth of the world's population to choose from, China have poured billions into a Soviet-style training system geared to maximizing medal success.

Their new sporting superpower status reflects their emerging global economic might, and China's government feels the $43 billion investment in the Games was money well spent.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and former England soccer captain David Beckham will be at the Bird's Nest on Sunday night as the Olympic flag is lowered and passed to the 2012 hosts, a nation delighted over their fourth place in the medals table.

Beckham said in an interview on Saturday that China could be very proud of what they had done in staging the Olympics, but promised London would do even better, "without a doubt".

Bolt vows he'll keep 200m mark

Sprint star Usain Bolt said his rivals have their work cut out for them if they are aiming to claim his 200 metres world record.

And the 22-year-old, who won three gold medals in world record time in Beijing in the 100m, 200m and the 4x100m relay, insisted there was more to come.

"I don't know how fast I can go. I'm not really worried about that," he said.

"I'm just looking forward to going on and doing better things. I hope to improve every year.

"I'll definitely be going to the London Olympics to defend my title."

Bolt said his win in the 200m, in which he beat American Michael Johnson's 12-year-old record of 19.32 seconds, would stick with him above the others.

"People said the 200m world record would be pretty hard to get. I got it and it's going to be hard to (improve it)," he said.

"The 100m world record will keep going over and over. The 200m will stay with me forever.

"I came out here ready and prepared. When you come to the Olympics, it's the biggest stage. I did my best, the track was great.

"I worked hard to get here. It wasn't an easy road."

The Jamaican, who will go on to compete in the 100m in Zurich, 200m in Lausanne and 100m in Brussels before the end of his season, said it had come as no surprise that world records were broken at the Bird's Nest.

"The track is fast. I said to Asafa (Powell) and my coach (Glen Mills) that anybody who wins is going to break the world record."

Revelling in the moment

Bolt also said the enjoyment factor and his laid-back demeanour were key to his stunning treble gold medal-winning performance.

"A lot of guys came to me and said they've been inspired," Bolt said.

"I said to them 'you have to be relaxed'. We know we're capable of doing it. You've got to enjoy what you do.

"Yes, I guess I've had a little bit of an impact. People have gone out there and enjoyed themselves.

"It's great for the sport," he said, adding: "I wouldn't say I'm a phenomenon, I'm just a great athlete."

Bolt, who set world records of 9.69 and 19.30 seconds to win the men's 100 and 200m, ran the third leg of the Jamaican 4x100m relay squad which won a maiden gold in the event in 37.10 seconds, breaking the United States's 15-year-old record.

"It might change my life, but I won't change," the Jamaican insisted.

"I try and stay relaxed by messing around and not thinking too much about the race.

"I don't allow people to put pressure on me. You might not be focused enough. When I enjoy myself I stay focused.

"I'll still enjoy myself, I'm still young. I'll still train hard. I'll try to keep on top for as long as I can.

"Running is enjoyable. You have to enjoy what you do.

"It's a job for us athletes, it's like working. To not enjoy it, it doesn't make sense.

"I enjoy it, I love it. Sometimes you think about quitting at training because that's hard.

"But it also makes success more great when you work hard for it."

Bolt's outgoing and refreshingly honest outlook has won over fans, pundits and other athletes alike.

His signature Jamaican "To the world" dance performed during his victory laps, ending with him leaning back and pointing two fingers up into the sky, was widely anticipated by the 91,000-crowd at the National Stadium and has even been mimicked by other winning athletes.

- AFP

Mitcham gold spoils Chinese party

Australia's Matthew Mitcham has snatched gold from Chinese favourite Zhou Luxin on his final dive to win the men's 10 metres platform and deny China a sweep of all eight diving golds at the Beijing Games.

The 20-year-old trailed Zhou through the first five dives and was more than 30 points adrift prior to the final dive.

Zhou, perhaps feeling the weight of a nation's expectations, fluffed his final dive, a reverse three-and-a-half somersault.

World number three Mitcham nailed a sublime back two-and-a-half somersault with two-and-a-half twists, with a 3.8 degree of difficulty, achieving four perfect 10s.

He finished with 537.95 points to claim the gold and Zhou was left with a silver medal with 533.15 points.

"It's going to take a while to sink in," Mitcham said.

"My cheeks hurt from smiling, my face hurts from the chlorine, my legs are sore from jumping up and down.

"I'm in pain and I'm tired, but I'm so happy."

Zhou admitted he had started to become nervous in front of his home crowd.

"At the beginning I wasn't nervous, so I started well," Zhou said.

"The last dive was not as good as I could have done because I started to get nervous."

World champion Gleb Galperin of Russia snagged the bronze with 525.80 points as China's Huo Liang, first after the semi-finals, was shut out of the medals in fourth.

China, with seven titles already in the bag, was trying to become the first country since 1952 to win every diving gold on offer at a Games.

Australia's other competitor Mathew Helm finished in sixth, unable to add to his silver medal in the event in Athens four years ago.

Mitcham has become the first Australian man to win a diving gold medal since 1924.

Mitcham says he is completely surprised by his win.

"I'm going to watch the footage when I get home and I suppose I'll be impressed then because I don't even know how I dived, I don't even know what scores I got," he said.

"Because you just, you're not really in there. In the moment. You're just concentrating on your dive so much."

Wanjiru gives Kenya Olympic marathon gold

Samuel Wanjiru made it a full house of Olympic titles in middle distance and long distance races for Kenya's men in Beijing on Sunday as he ended their title drought in the marathon and broke the long-standing Olympic record as well.

The 21-year-old timed 2 hours, 6 minutes and 32 seconds, breaking the 24-year-old Olympic record set by Carlos Lopes.

He beat home Morocco's two-time world champion Jaouad Gharib (2:07:16) for the gold while Tsegay Kebede of Ethiopia took the bronze.

Australia's Lee Troop finished in 60th place.

The race came alive at the 20 kilometres mark when five runners split from the leading pack.

The quintet comprised Gharib, two Kenyans in three-time London Marathon winner Martin Lel and Wanjiru, second in this year's London Marathon.

The other two were Eritrean Yonas Kifle and Ethiopia's Deriba Werga, who had timed his personal best at the London Marathon but had been over a minute behind Wanjiru.

Several of the favourites failed to cope with the hot conditions especially defending champion Stefano Baldini of Italy.

The 37-year-old was out of contention early on as the European champion failed to find the spark he had in Athens four years ago and was to finish 12th.

America's hopes of ending on a winning note also died around that time as Ryan Hall, who has impressed since he switched from running the mile, also found nothing when the quintet split.

By the 30km mark, though, the picture had dramtically changed as Wanjiru and Werga upped the pace and Gharib, Lel, who should on form have been able to go with them as he owned the fastest time this year among those running, and Kifle could not find anything.

However, while Lel and Kifle floundered, 36-year-old Gharib drew on all his championship winning experience and somehow managed to reel in the front two setting up what looked sure to be a thrilling climax.

The trio were still intact as they passed the 35km marker with Wanjiru leading them out.

Behind them Kifle had squirmed free of a tiring Lel, who was beginning to look behind him in a sure sign of desperation, but the Eritrean faced a tough task in getting back to the leaders as he was nearly a minute-and-a-half adrift.

Shortly after that Wanjiru went up a gear to test out the other two and found Werga wanting, though, Gharib stuck to him like a limpet.

But even he could not keep up the pace and the young Kenyan had by the time they got to 40km established a clear gap between himself and the Moroccan.

With two kilometres to go as they appeared under the shadow of the stadium the game was clearly up for Gharib, who had an 18-second gap to make up if he were to add Olympic gold to his two world titles.

But Wanjiru was not for cracking and strode to a memorable victory - raising his left arm in celebration upon entering stadium and was still full of running as he rounded off a highly satisfying Games for the Kenyans.

Werga faded so badly that what had looked at one point could be gold turned to nothing as Kebede passed him on the final lap round the track.

-AFP

U.S. beats Japan to claim baseball bronze

The United States won an 8-4 slugfest over Japan to exit the final Olympic baseball tournament with the bronze medal on Saturday, meeting the Americans' minimum medal requirement.

Shortstop Jason Donald had said that if his team had failed to win a medal, he had considered not returning home.

"Before we came out I said, if I don't win a medal I think I'm going to stay here," said Donald, who contributed a fifth-inning two-run homer to the U.S. cause.

"We did a great job of coming back, we could have easily folded and given the game away but the fortitude of this team is amazing."

After failing to qualify for the Athens Games, the bronze restored a bit of U.S. pride before the sport is dropped from the Olympic programme following the gold medal game between Cuba and South Korea later on Saturday.

While baseball was born in the United States and holds the lofty status as the "national pastime", Americans have enjoyed only modest success on the Olympic diamond.

Since becoming part of the Summer Games in 1992 the U.S. has won just one gold medal (2000) while Cuba has dominated the event, claiming top spot on the podium in 1992, 1996 and 2004.

After falling behind 4-1, U.S. bats suddenly came to life, Matt Brown triggering the rally with a three-run homer. Matt LaPorta also had a solo shot for the Americans.

"Our bats finally woke up," said U.S. manager Davey Johnson. "Our big bat, Matt Brown got the job done."

Bolt wins a third gold for Jamaica in relay

Usain "Lightning" Bolt powered the Jamaican men to a world record victory in the 100 meters relay on Friday, sealing his place as the dominant track athlete of the Beijing Olympics.

It was the third world record for Bolt, who has stolen the show in the second week of the Games with his dazzling victories in the 100 and 200 meters and his theatrical celebrations.

Bolt gave an assured performance on the third leg of the relay, safely handing the baton to former world record holder Asafa Powell, who powered home in 37.10 seconds, knocking a solid three tenths of a second off the 15-year-old American record.

Just getting round the track safely was a priority for the men after the Jamaican 4x100m women bungled their baton handover to hand gold to Russia and snuff out the Caribbean island's chance of winning all athletic speed events at the Olympics.

Sherone Simpson failed to get the baton across to Kerron Stewart, the woman she shared the 100m silver medal with, and the Russian sprinters seized their chance.

Jamaica had won both women's individual speed events as well as the two individual golds seized by Bolt.

The new men's relay record underlined by how far the Jamaicans have eclipsed the United States, the traditional track superpower, at this Olympics. The American men and women were knocked out of the relay heats by embarrassing baton fumbles.

Ethiopia's Tirunesh Dibaba stormed to victory in the 5,000m, becoming the first woman to win both long distance races at the same Olympics. She won the 10,000m a week ago in the second fastest time recorded.

Her great rival and compatriot Meseret Defar was pushed into third by Ethiopian-born Elvan Abeylegesse, who runs for Turkey, who also won silver in the 10,000m.

The anticipated dominance of long distance track running by the Ethiopians should be continued by 10,000m gold medalist Kenenisa Bekele who is aiming for the double in the men's events. The 5,000m is on Saturday, the last full day of competition.

AGE QUESTIONS

China have barely featured in the track events, where they had hoped to score some success to match their medal dominance in sports like table tennis and diving.

Big hope, 110m hurdler Liu Xiang, pulled out of his heat with injury, devastating legions of Chinese fans who had prayed for a repeat of his 2004 win, the country's first track gold.

Concerns have resurfaced over how far China would go to deliver a Games of which the Chinese can be proud.

The International Olympic Committee has ordered an investigation into allegations Chinese authorities falsified the age of a double gold medal winning gymnast because she was too young to compete.

China's He Kexin, who won team gold in artistic gymnastics and an individual title on the asymmetric bars, was registered as being born on January 1, 1992, meeting the rule that gymnasts must at least turn 16 in the year of the Olympics.

There have been persistent media allegations He competed in earlier tournaments under a later birth date. On Thursday an American computer expert said he had uncovered Chinese state documents that proved she was 14 and not 16.

The caption on a photograph published by Chinese state news agency Xinhua last year referred to "13-year-old He Kexin", while China Daily reported in May that she was 14.

An IOC official said the gymnastics federation would look into "discrepancies" over He's age but Games organizers were at pains to stress she had already been cleared to compete.

The age rule was introduced in 1997 to protect gymnast's health, and China's gymnastics coach told a news conference all the team "were in total compliance with the age requirement".

"Since Asian bodies are not the same as Westerners', there have been questions, but there shouldn't be," Chinese head coach Huang Yubin said. A finding is likely to come well after the Games end on Sunday and the intense media focus moves elsewhere.

The eight golds of swimmer Michael Phelps, Bolt's superb sprinting and China's dominance of the medal table have been the stories of the Games.

China now have 46 golds to the 31 won by America. The Chinese say this shows they now have the sporting prowess to match their rising superpower status.

THRILLS AND SPILLS

There were thrills and spills on the BMX track on Friday as the Games' youngest competition produced a thrilling finale.

The BMX competition was introduced at these Games to attract a younger audience. France's Anne-Caroline Chausson won the women's gold after a tight race with Britain's Shanaze Reade, who crashed on the final bend as she tried to regain the lead.

The dreadful week for the American sprinters, in which they failed to win gold for the first time since 1976, prompted a post mortem from the "extremely disappointed" chief of U.S. athletics.

"These are professional athletes who are the best in their field and anybody who ever ran a high school relay cringes when that baton hits the track," Doug Logan said.

The Americans hope for more golds in the men's and women's basketball, with the highly-paid NBA players overwhelming favorites to win the gold they embarrassingly missed in Athens.

Hooker vaults to Olympic gold

Steve Hooker has won Australia's 12th gold medal of the Beijing Olympics, leaping to victory in the men's pole vault at the Bird's Nest.

Hooker cleared 5.80 and 5.85 metres on his third attempts to secure himself a medal before vaulting into the history books by clearing 5.90m, becoming Australia's first male gold medallist in the field for 60 years.

John Winter won a gold medal for Australia in the men's high jump at the London 1948 Games.

Hooker then added the icing to his gold, breaking the Olympic record with a third attempt at 5.96m, one centimetre higher than American Tim Mack's record from Athens.

The world record is 6.14m, held by Ukrainian Sergey Bubka.

Russian Evgeniy Lukyanenko took the silver and Ukranian Denys Yurchenko finished with the bronze.

More on this story to follow.

Vijender Kumar wins Olympics bronze

Cuba's Emilio Correa outpointed India's Vijender Kumar 8-5 on Friday to advance to the middleweight final of the Olympic boxing competition.

Britain's James DeGale extended an impressive run by easily outpointing Irishman Darren Sutherland 10-3 on Friday to also reach the final.

"It was a walk in the park for me," DeGale said after outpointing Irishman Darren Sutherland 10-3 to set up a final bout against Correa.

"It was easy," he added. "I'm so fit, four rounds is nothing. I think it's the best I've looked."

DeGale, who had scored the biggest upset so far by ousting Kazakh Bakhtiyar Artayev, the welterweight champion from the 2004 Athens Games, in the previous round, was far too clever for Sutherland.

The Briton stepped up a gear after a cautious start and took control in the third round, displaying superior hand speed and accuracy to move 8-5 up.

Sutherland kept marching forward in the fourth round but his opponent proved an elusive target.

"I had a feeling in my bones," DeGale said. "On my day I can beat anybody in the world and now the weight's perfect, my head's perfect. It's lovely."

DeGale is now a win away from handing Britain their first boxing title since Audley Harrison took super-heavyweight gold in 2000 in Sydney.

Sutherland, who will have to be content with a bronze medal, was not complaining either.

"I'm delighted," he said. "A medal was beyond my wildest dreams. I came here to perform and stay true to my values. I like to get stuck in and fight but unfortunately he didn't want to get involved and he used the tactics that he did."

Sutherland will now turn professional.

"Definitely, this is the last amateur fight," he said. "How can I go home and get myself up for a club fight after an Olympic Games? It's time for a new chapter."

The Irishman, who looked brave but limited against DeGale, said he was looking forward to facing the Briton again, this time in the professional ranks.

"He wouldn't last," Sutherland predicted. "You might say a win is a win but I know who they're going to pay to watch and that's me."

U.S. beat Russia to reach final

The United States closed in on their fourth straight Olympic women's basketball gold by beating Russia 67-52 to reach the final on Thursday.

Trailing by as many as seven points in the first half, the Americans opened an eight-point lead at the end of three quarters to break Russia's resistance.

The U.S. pulled away in the final period to avenge a shock defeat by the Russians in the semi-finals of the 2006 world championships.

"From top to bottom, one through 12 we're the best," slam-dunking WNBA rookie sensation Candace Parker told Reuters. "We're the deepest. We just reload whenever we come out. We were never nervous. We didn't panic. We took care of business."

Guard Diana Taurasi scored a game-high 21 points for a U.S. team who had won their first six games by an average of more than 43 points. Maria Stepanova top-scored for Russia with 14.

American-born Becky Hammon, whose decision to play for Russia at the Beijing Olympics triggered dismay in the United States, was a non-factor in the game, scoring just three points on one of six shooting.

"I'm still American," said Hammon, who put her hand over her heart during the pre-game playing of the U.S. national anthem. "I love my country.

"When you play the U.S. you can't afford to make mistakes. They've been pounding teams by 35-40 points so we take a moral victory."

The U.S. will face either world champions Australia or Olympic hosts China in Saturday's final. Russia will play for the bronze in the third-place game.

U.S. misery continues in relays

Tyson Gay's miserable Olympics continued on Thursday when he and U.S. team mate Darvis Patton contrived to drop the baton in their 4x100 meters relay heat.

The U.S. were cruising towards the final and a shot at a 16th gold medal in the event when Patton bore down on Gay for the last changeover, but a mix-up ended with the baton tumbling to the rain-soaked track.

"I don't know what happened," triple world champion Gay told reporters. "The stick was in my hand. I think I felt it hit my hand, but I don't think it was in all the way before I grabbed. It's probably my fault, I take the blame for it."

Gay had also been bidding to make up for his failure to reach the 100m final.

On a night of mishaps in the sprint relay heats, Britain's men, surprise winners in Athens four years ago, were disqualified from heat two after completing their third change outside the box.

Nigeria were also eliminated after dropping the baton in heat one, meaning all three teams on the podium in Athens will take no further part in the event. Trinidad and Tobago won the heat, with Japan second.

The night got worse for the Americans when their women's 4x100m team dropped the baton after a mix-up between the experienced Torri Edwards and Lauryn Williams, also on the third handover and also with qualification appearing a formality.

It was an echo of four years ago when Williams was involved in a botched handover with Marion Jones.

"We trained hard, we had great chemistry this time," Williams said. "Things did not go as planned...the stick had a mind of its own."

Edwards said she was "heartbroken".

Jamaica's men and women showed how it was supposed to be done, winning their respective heats with ease. The men's quartet included Asafa Powell but Usain Bolt, winner of the Beijing 100m and 200m in world record times, was rested for the final.

"We were looking forward to running against the Americans in the final because they are one of the best teams out there. But our team is very strong. It would have been hard to beat us," Powell said.

Jamaica sweeps the sprint golds in Beijing

Jamaica made a clean sweep of Olympic sprint golds on Thursday with victory in the women's 200 meters humbling the United States, the traditional track and field superpower.

The Americans had a nightmare night with both the women and the men dropping their batons during the heats of the 4x100 meter relay to crash out. They also lost the final of women's softball, the first time they have failed to win gold in that event.

The Caribbean island's Veronica Campbell-Brown powered to gold in the 200m, taking a meter's lead by the halfway mark.

The 2004 winner's face was creased with pain but broke into a broad grin at the finish, where she dropped to her knees for a prayer.

American world champion Allyson Felix came second and 100 meter silver medalist Kerron Stewart of Jamaica was third.

The victory will bring more rejoicing to an island already exultant over the two world records and double sprint gold of Usain "Lightning" Bolt. His jawdropping speed has brought superlatives pouring forth from media and commentators.

Jamaica also won the women's 100 meters.

"The Americans have dominated (in the past), but this Olympics has been a Jamaican Olympics," said Stewart.

Bolt, 22 on Thursday, collected his second gold in a rain-soaked ceremony in the Bird's Nest stadium and gave his signature lightning bolt gesture for the cameras.

The head of the International Olympic Committee has questioned the Jamaican's sportsmanship, taking exception to his exuberant celebration of his 100 meter win on Saturday when he pounded his chest even before crossing the finish line.

"I think he should show more respect, shake hands, give a tap on the shoulder to the other ones. Not making gestures like the one he made," Jacques Rogge said. "He still has to mature."

Jamaican coach and former sprinter Don Quarrie defended Bolt, saying his celebrations were just youthful high spirits, from a man who is "playful, funny, happy".

LITTLE CONSOLATION

The United States have won a major sprint medal at every Games since 1984 and this year's collection of silvers and bronzes will be little consolation.

The failure in the relays, an unexpected loss in the final of the women's water polo to the Netherlands and defeat to Japan in the softball will be salt in the wounds for the Americans.

Softball will not be at the 2012 Games and the U.S. had won every gold on offer since it became an Olympic sport in 1996.

There was a win for the U.S. in the men's 400 meters, where LaShawn Merritt beat defending champion Jeremy Wariner to deliver the seventh straight gold in the event for the Americans.

That will do little to chip at the dominance of China in the medals table. The hosts have a commanding 45 golds to the U.S.'s 27, a lead that China says shows it now has the sporting prowess to match its growing economic might and superpower clout.

In Athens, the U.S. team topped the medals table with 36 golds to China's 32, but the hosts have invested heavily in selecting and training athletes intensively over many years.

"The world has to learn to live with a change of geopolitical nature," the IOC's Rogge said, adding that China's sporting success would last "as long as their sports system lasts".

Americans did enjoy success in women's beach volleyball.

An excited home crowd sheltered from torrential rain as China's Tian Jia and Wang Jie lost to the defending champions, U.S. pair Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh, in straight sets.

May-Treanor and Walsh, who have dominated the sport for five years, left the door open to a return in London 2012, but said that might depend on plans to have children.

The rain did not matter to the men's marathon swimmers.

Dutchman Maarten van der Weijden, who was given only a slim chance of survival when diagnosed with leukemia seven years ago, won the 10km swim, one of the most testing Olympic events.

A stem cell transplant and chemotherapy saved van der Weijden's life.

"That makes it extra special," he said. "It proves that even after such an illness you can win gold."

As expected Cuba's Dayron Robles won the 110 meters hurdles in a race that had been promoted as a showdown with Chinese sporting idol and defending champion Liu Xiang. But Liu hobbled out of his heat with an injured foot, devastating Chinese fans.

HORSE DOPE TESTS

Equestrian sports were embarrassed by positive drug tests on four horses that could lead to Norway's Tony Andre Hansen losing his bronze medal.

Four horses tested positive for capsaicin, a banned chili derivative which is sometimes pasted onto horse's forelegs to "hypersensitive" them so they try harder to lift their smarting shins over fences and avoid incurring penalties.

Hansen, on his horse Camiro, was a member of the Norwegian team that won bronze in Monday's team show jumping competition. A decision on his team's medal will come after a B-sample test.

"It is certainly a serious blow to the sport and we are very well aware of the possible implications it can have," said Sven Holmberg, the chairman of the International Equestrian Federation's jumping committee.

Dutch cancer survivor wins gold

A Dutchman given only a slim chance of survival after being diagnosed with leukemia won one of the Olympics' most grueling events on Thursday, the marathon open-water swim.

Maarten van der Weijden fell ill seven years ago but a stem cell transplant and chemotherapy saved his life.

He battled back to become the world's leading open-water swimmer and timed his surge to perfection to win a sprint finish after a three-man fight for gold in the Games' inaugural 10km men's race, after a contest lasting nearly two hours.

"That makes it extra special," van der Weijden said when asked about his recovery from cancer. "It proves that even after such an illness you can win gold."

Relentless rain descended on Day 13 of the Olympics, but failed to deter walkers, decathletes and bikini-clad women playing out the medals games in beach volleyball.

The rain did not dampen the buzz around Jamaica's Usain "Lightning" Bolt, celebrating his 22nd birthday on Thursday after winning a second sprint gold and setting another world record the night before, in the 200 meters.

The head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) questioned the Jamaican's sportsmanship, taking exception to his exuberant celebration of his 100 meter win on Saturday when he pounded his chest even before crossing the finish line.

"I think he should show more respect, shake hands, give a tap on the shoulder to the other ones. Not making gestures like the one he made," said Jacques Rogge. "He still has to mature."

Jamaican coach and former sprinter Don Quarrie defended Bolt, saying his celebrations were just youthful high spirits, from a man who is "playful, funny, happy".

Former athletes searched for superlatives to describe Bolt.

"It was the most amazing athletic performance I have ever seen in my life," said former U.S. track champion Michael Johnson, who lost his 12-year world record to Bolt.

The finals of women's beach volleyball went ahead in the rain. An excited home crowd sheltered under umbrellas as China's Tian Jia and Wang Jie lost to the defending champions, U.S. pair Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh in straight sets.

May-Treanor and Walsh, who have dominated the sport for five years, left the door open to a return in London 2012, but said that might depend on plans to have children.

JAMAICA, U.S. SHOWDOWN

The limelight returns to the Bird's Nest in the evening, and another intriguing showdown between Jamaica's extraordinarily successful sprinters and the United States.

Jamaican women followed Bolt by sweeping the 100m medals and a trio of strong sprinters are looking to add 200m glory at 7:30 p.m. (7:30 a.m. EDT). The Americans, the traditional superpower of sprinting, are desperate for at least one gold.

Cuban world record-holder Dayron Robles says he is confident of winning Thursday's 110m hurdles final, which was shaping into one of the high points of the Games but is now deflated by the absence of Chinese favorite Liu Xiang.

A foot injury forced the Olympic champion to limp from the track before his first race, leaving Chinese fans in tears.

"I'm very calm. I'll win the gold medal," said Robles.

The Chinese can at least console themselves with a look at the gold medal table, where they have built up a seemingly unassailable lead of 45 golds to the Americans' 27.

In Athens the U.S. team topped the medals table with 36 golds to China's 32, but the hosts have invested heavily in selecting and training their athletes over many years, an effort that mirrors the nation's growing global economic and political clout.

"The world has to learn to live with a change of geopolitical nature," the IOC's Rogge said, adding that China's sporting success would last "as long as their sports system lasts".

On a packed day of athletics, Americans Jeremy Wariner and LaShawn Merrit go head-to-head in the 400m on Thursday too.

Later, the women's soccer tournament wraps up with the U.S. team facing Brazil and hoping to repeat their victory against the South Americans in Athens four years ago.

(Reporting by Beijing Olympics bureau; Editing by Jeremy Laurence)

U.S. takes beach volleyball gold

U.S. defending champions Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh beat China's Tian Jia and Wang Jie to win the women's Olympic beach volleyball gold medal on Thursday.

The triple world champions screamed, leapt into each other's arms and fell into the sand after Walsh powered down the last spike to become the first team to win two Olympic beach volleyball titles.

"I'm speechless," said May-Treanor after the match.

"This has been Kerri's and my goal since the last ball dropped in Athens. It's been a lot of hard work, a lot of love, a wonderful ride," the 31-year-old added, drenched after playing in a torrential downpour.

May-Treanor and Walsh have not lost a match in more than a year and have never dropped a set at the Olympics, beating Tian and Wang 21-18 21-18 for their second gold.

"We've never defeated a U.S. team in a big final. They're just too strong for us," said Tian. "Hopefully in the next couple of years we can manage to beat them."

They may not get a chance as both May-Treanor and Walsh plan to stop competing to have children after the Games and are not sure they will come back on tour together.

It was still a good day for China, who took their first ever Olympic medals in beach volleyball -- silver for Tian and Wang and bronze earlier for Zhang Xi and Xue Chen.

The Chinese crowd yelled and screamed throughout the match, trying to do Mexican waves with their umbrellas, cheering on both home teams and even trying some beach volleyball on court between the matches.

"It is a great time for Chinese sport. I am honored to have been part of this," said Xue.

Aussie Stingers claim bronze in Beijing

Australia's women's water polo team has taken the bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics, beating Hungary in a penalty shoot-out.

The Stingers broke away to a 2-0 lead early, but Hungary responded with five straight goals and led 5-3 at half-time.

Australia equalised at 6-6 late in the third quarter and then again with eight seconds remaining in the match via Rebecca Rippon to force extra time.

The Stingers led twice in extra time, with Hungary making it 9-9 with just 20 seconds left to force the shoot-out, which Australia won 3-2.

Bolt strikes twice to claim sprint double

Jamaica's Usain "Lightning" Bolt has roared to gold in the 200 metres to become the first man since Carl Lewis in 1984 to win an Olympic sprint double.Bolt charged to a world record time of 19.30 seconds, falling to the floor in joy at the end.

"I'm number one," he mouthed at TV cameras, beating his chest and blowing kisses at the 91,000 crowd in the Bird's Nest.

Bolt had won the 100m there in swashbuckling style at the weekend, also setting a world record.

This time, he again joked on his way to the block, firing an imaginary arrow in the air, but looked deadly serious as he opened up a big gap and steamed through the finishing line to beat American Michael Johnson's 1996 record by 0.2 of a second.

"Superman 2 - incredible," said American Johnson on BBC TV.

"Incredible performance by Usain Bolt once again. He finished up in an incredible time. This was an incredible performance, he wanted that record. Congratulations Usain Bolt.

"He got an incredible start. I looked at his start and just went wow. It was more amazing than the 100 metres... guys that tall should not be able to start like that.

"This is his favourite event, he went for it, he came in focused on it, knowing he would most likely win the gold.

"My concern was he would not have the ability to hold that speed for the entire race but he showed he has been working on that.

"He used every ounce of energy, he wanted that record."

Nine men have now won the double sprint in Olympic history.

Bolt, who turns 22 on August 21, had "Happy Birthday" played to him over the stadium loudspeakers some 90 minutes early as he danced around the track on a victory lap.

He has established himself as the joint hero of the Games along with American swimmer Michael Phelps, who took an unprecedented eight golds.

Just as Phelps's exploits in the Water Cube have thrilled Americans, so Bolt has swelled national pride across his Caribbean homeland.

The lanky runner started sprinting only when a school cricket coach noticed his speed as a fast bowler.

-Reuters

Boomers, Spirit, Mottram play second fiddle to Bolt

Australia's women's softball and men's basketball teams face important matches in Beijing today, but both are likely to be overshadowed by Usain Bolt's attempt to secure the sprint double.

Bolt won the 100m gold in a stunning world record time of 9.69 seconds earlier in the meet and has qualified with ease for the final of the 200m.

That race is scheduled for just after midnight tonight, AEST.

"I like to enjoy what I do," said the lanky Bolt, who breezed through his 200m semi-final, playing up to TV cameras and taking a look round at competitors during the race.

"You can't be too serious in your job."

Bolt, who runs the 200m final the day before his 22nd birthday, faces a tough challenge though to beat Michael Johnson's 12-year-old world record of 19.32 seconds.

The Jamaican's best is 19.67. If he wins the race he will be the first man to win the 100m-200m sprint double since American Carl Lewis in 1984.

Crunch time for Spirit, Boomers

Aussie Spirit pitcher Melanie Roche says there's a positive feeling in the Australian camp ahead of this afternoon's softball semi-final against Canada.

"We've just got the mongrel in us at the moment and we've just got to take that mongrel feeling into the big games," Roche said.

Boomers forward Matt Nielsen says his side will be ready for its biggest challenge of the Olympics when it takes on the US Dream Team in tonight's men's basketball quarter-final.

"We feel confident, we feel pretty confident of where we're at right now," Nielsen said.

"We're in good form, and we're going to have a crack at the big dogs. That is what it is and we're fine with that."

Elsewhere today, Craig Mottram runs in the heats of the 5,000 metres tonight, while fellow Australian Steve Hooker will compete in the qualifying round for the men's pole vault.

They will be hoping to draw inspiration from the efforts of Sally McLellan, who won Australia's first athletics medal with silver in the 100m hurdles last night.

In early action, Melissa Gorman will compete in the women's 10km open water race, at event being held for the first time at an Olympics.

Semi-finals will also be held in the flat water canoe and kayak events at the Shunyi Olympic Park.

- ABC/Reuters

Snowsill storms to triathlon gold

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Video - Snowsill eases to triathlon gold

Emma Snowsill claimed triathlon gold for Australia as she stormed to victory in Beijing on Monday.

The Commonwealth Games champion, 27, broke clear at the start of the 10k run and never looked like being caught as she won in one hour and 58.27 seconds.

Portugal's Vanessa Fernandes won silver and Australian Emma Moffatt the bronze.

British world champion Helen Tucker came 21st while Hollie Avil, who has been struggling with a stomach bug, withdrew during the 40k bike ride.

Tucker had been in contention at the changeover from bike to run, having been in the lead group for much of the race.

But Snowsill stormed clear and another breakaway group formed and Tucker struggled to match the pace.


To come from a nation that's so strong in terms of triathlon, it's a fantastic feeling to finally bring home a gold medal
Emma Snowsill

The Welsh triathlete finished more than four minutes behind Snowsill but Avil, the 18-year-old national champion, could not finish the race because of the after effects of an illness at the weekend, which left her unable to eat.

"I have always told myself I would never not finish a race and it's hard to describe how I feel having to pull out," she said.

"When I was on the bike I was sick and every time I took on fluids I was sick again.

"But my aim has always been to compete at London 2012 and I've gained so much experience."

An eight-bike pile-up at the end of lap five dashed the hopes of Canada's Laura Groves and Russian Irina Abysova as riders careered over the barrier and into each other at the hairpin stadium turn.

But Snowsill powered on to victory and made up for the pain of missing out on selection for the team to compete at the last Olympics in Athens four years ago.

Hollie Avil
Avil completed the swimming leg before sickness struck

"I feel very proud and honoured to be an Australian with a gold medal around my neck at the Olympic Games," Snowsill said.

"I believe we came so close in Sydney and Athens that this makes up for those very close defeats.

"I don't feel any regret about not going to Athens, you move on and you deal with it.

"But to come from a nation that's so strong in terms of triathlon, it's a fantastic feeling to finally bring home a gold medal."

Tucker was hoping to add an Olympic medal to her World Championship win earlier this year.

But the 24-year-old from Bridgend suffered heartbreak in Beijing as she finished four-and-a-half minutes behind champion Snowsill.

"I'm a bit gutted but my legs didn't feel great," admitted Tucker.

"I didn't feel awesome on the bike but I stayed in a good position but I didn't have any legs when it came to the run, it felt hard.

"I know I should do better than that but I've had an awesome year so I can't really complain.

"This experience here in Beijing really makes me want to succeed at the London Olympics in 2012."

Frodeno claims gold as Brits fade

Cannot play media. Sorry, this media is not available in your territory. Video - Frodeno sneaks triathlon gold A well-timed sprint from Jan Frodeno gave the German gold in a thrilling men's triathlon race on Tuesday. He went clear with 50m to go to finish ahead of Canada's Simon Whitfield and New Zealand's Bevan Docherty, clocking one hour 48:53 seconds. Great Britain's Alistair Brownlee had been among the leading group for much of the run before fading to 12th place. Fellow Brit Will Clarke was two places behind Brownlee with Tim Don, suffering from a virus, failed to finish. Don, who had hoped to among the medals in Beijing, was struggling with illness in the build-up to the race and withdrew early. Whitfield looked to have time his sprint finish to perfection, breaking from a group that included Frodeno, Docherty and pre-race favourite Javier Gomez of Spain. OLYMPICS BLOG Don spent Thursday and Friday watching the contents of his stomach come back past his teeth BBC Sport's Tom Fordyce at Ming Tombs Reservoir, Beijing But Frodeno stuck with him and, with just 50m to the line, had the legs to out-sprint the Canadian to claim the gold. "My advantage was that I wasn't one of the big favourites. They had all the media attention," said Frodeno. "I knew this was going to be a tough race, the 10 km run was going to be the hardest of my life, but I just realised this is what I have been dreaming of, this is my only chance," he added. Alistair Brownlee finished in a creditable 12th place It was a fitting end to a fantastic race in which Brit Brownlee more than played his part. The 20-year-old set the agenda on the 40km bike ride after a hugely impressive swim and looked in contention for a medal as he initially formed a six-man breakaway group in the 10km run. But he just did not have the legs to keep up with the experienced Frodeno, Whitfield, Docherty, Gomez and Ivan Rana, falling off the pace before crossing the line 86 seconds behind the winner. "I got to 7km on the run and there was nothing left," said Brownlee. "I've got to find a way of getting 12 places better in time for London." Clarke was always playing catch-up after a disappointing 1.5km swim in a race which was competed in blistering heat. "I just didn't do it on the swim," he said. "I wasn't fast enough so I had to do too much on the bike and that meant I came to the run tired. I have to go back and do lots of work on my swimming."

Britain's cycling success - is it cricket?

Don't get me wrong, I'll never tire of hearing the national anthem at an Olympic venue, as the Union Flag begins its journey up into the heavens.

But that's five times God's Saved the Queen at the Laoshan velodrome so far and as I watched the Australian film crew trudge off disconsolately on Monday night, there was a small part of me (OK a very small part), which felt a little embarrassed.

Or should we bask in the glory of it all - in the knowledge that it can't last forever.

Denmark's team leader, Jesper Worre, was full of praise for his British counterparts, despite watching Bradley Wiggins and the crew thump his boys in the team pursuit.

But he did raise an interesting point, when I asked him if he had a problem with Britain's dominance on the track.

"No, that's what sport is all about," he told me, "But I do think it could be bad for track cycling if it gets worse than this. One or two medals each race could be bad. I think interest could fall.

"We have a World Cup in Copenhagen in two years time, and if one country is too dominant, it could decrease interest maybe."

Britain are the new Chelsea of the cycling world - with lottery cash in place of Russian roubles.

And again I stress that Worre wasn't moaning, only stating the facts, when he said: "In Denmark, we only have money to try to make success in the team pursuit. That went well, but we were still beaten by seven seconds. They are number one by far. The funding is too far ahead for almost all nations. I think nobody can match the funding."

It may not surprise you to know that Dave Brailsford, British Cycling's performance director, doesn't agree.

"It certainly doesn't get monotonous for me, I can tell you. It's a very British thing to worry are we winning too much. It doesn't fit into my vocabulary, I can tell you, and we'll keep on going. That's what I'm paid for, to win Olympic medals," he said.

And let's not lose sight of the main reason why Britain's cyclists are, in the words of Worre, "like animals on the track". Who else has got riders of the calibre of Chris Hoy and Bradley Wiggins, and the rest?

I'll be back there on Tuesday, hoping to hear that same anthem another three times, safe in the knowledge that interest in track cycling, in Britain at least, has never been higher.

China's medal haul dulls pain of Liu exit

China's seemingly unassailable medal haul and cleanest air in a decade helped dull the host nation's pain on Tuesday over the injury to track idol Liu Xiang.

In Day 11 sports, Germany's Jan Frodeno, a man who only took up triathlon to impress a girl, won the swim-bike-run endurance test on a hot day in Beijing.

The United States and Britain, second and third in the medal table, grabbed another gold apiece in sailing.

Chinese leaders and people alike showered injured Olympics 100m hurdles champion Liu with get-well messages a day after he limped forlornly off the track, depriving the hosts of what they hoped might be their greatest single moment of glory.

Liu, who along with basketball player Yao Ming is China's most idolized sportsman, put a brave face on.

"When I was warming up, I felt my foot was no good," he said, promising not to quit. "There'll be opportunities next year ... I'm still in peak condition. I need to be optimistic."

Liu took gold in Athens in 2004, becoming the first man to win a track-and-field event for China and transforming himself into a national symbol and multi-millionaire.

His -- and China's -- great dream was to repeat the feat at home. But local fans who openly wept at Liu's exit were cheered by a glance at the medal table.

Finally reaping the benefits of their 1.3 billion population and a Soviet-style training system, China have 39 golds, seven more than their total haul in Athens, when they came second.

"There is basically no worry about top spot," state news agency Xinhua said.

Chinese fans are loving it -- one man even cycled more than 1,300km (800 miles) to tow his 98-year-old grandmother to the Games in a pedicab.

Traditional Olympics table-toppers the United States, whose only serious rival in the past was the Soviet Union, have a less-than-expected 24 golds. Britain follow with 13.

Further cheering the Chinese national mood, environmental authorities said on Tuesday Beijing had enjoyed its cleanest air in 10 years this month. Officials pledged not to let air quality slide again once the Games were over.

CHAMPAGNE MOMENTS

China took drastic efforts, including shutting factories and taking several million cars off the road, to improve air quality before the Games. And despite fears ahead of competing, no athletes have yet raised serious concerns during events.

China's post-Olympics challenge is to keep pro-environment policies while maintaining the near double-digit growth rates that have made it an emerging global economic superpower.

"We will take some new measures to ensure that air quality will reach a new level after the Olympic Games," environmental official Du Shaozhong said on another sunny day in Beijing.

One man whose lungs definitely were not affected by Beijing's summer heat, or any lingering smog, was Germany's Frodeno.

"It was a moment I had dreamed of so many times in my head," said the former swimmer and lifeguard after his triathlon win. "During the race I told myself: 'Boy, be greedy -- it's champagne or fizzy water'."

Britain's latest gold came from Paul Goodison who made up for disappointment in Athens, where he nearly quit, by winning the sailing Laser title in Qingdao, on China's east coast.

Britain's 13 golds is already its best performance since 1920 and could not be better-timed with the 2012 Olympics taking place in London.

Experts attribute British success, which has come chiefly in cycling, rowing, sailing and swimming, to a decade of heavy investment in facilities, much of it from a national lottery.

"We can rule the waves again," Britain's top-selling Sun said, catching the wave of patriotism.

Though the "beautiful game" has long played second fiddle to other sports at the Olympics, a mouth-watering semi-final on Tuesday night between soccer superpowers Argentina and Brazil has excited fans around the world.

Brazil have won five World Cups but never an Olympic gold.

China is looking for more golds in diving and gymnastics on Tuesday, and Jamaica's Usain "Lightning" Bolt is back in action in the Bird's Nest venue for a 200 meters semi-final.

After his showboating win in the blue riband 100m, Bolt wants the first sprint double gold since Carl Lewis in 1984.

Gymnastics fans still had calculators out to decipher how American Nastia Liukin came second to China's He Kexin on Monday.

The pair had an identical score of 16.725 but a convoluted tiebreak system -- involving an A jury of two judges, a B jury of six judges, elimination of highest and lowest marks, then averaging and various deductions -- gave it to He.

"That makes no sense," commented Bela Karolyi, who once coached Romanian champion Nadia Comaneci.

Chinese authorities are delighted the pre-Olympics focus on human rights and pollution has died down. They have set aside "protest parks" for would-be demonstrators but have not yet approved any of the 77 applications lodged to use them.

The only noise there to trouble official ears is the birds.

(Reporting by Beijing Olympics bureau; Editing by Alex Richardson)

Johnson finally gets gold on beam

Shawn Johnson outshone rivals Nastia Liukin and Cheng Fei with her deft footwork on the balance beam to finally strike gold at the Olympics gymnastics competition on Tuesday.

The 16-year-old had been expected to go home with a stash of gold medals after picking up three titles at the world championships in 2007. But she had to wait until the final day of the competition to make her mark at the Games, with a score of 16.225.

She edged out fellow American and all-round champion Liukin by 0.200 of a point, while Cheng collected bronze with 15.950.

China's Li Shanshan had been tipped for the title but she was one of two finalists to fall off the wood and finished sixth.

Meares takes Olympics sprint silver

Australia's Anna Meares has finished with the silver medal in the women's sprint at the Beijing Olympics.

Meares was no match for Great Britain's Victoria Pendleton in the final, going down 2-0.

Her silver medal is one better than her third place in the sprint in 2004, and is Australia's only cycling track medal of the Games.

Her feat means Australia has avoided equalling an unwanted national record.

The last time Australia went home without a track cycling medal from the Games was at Moscow in 1980.

The Aussies were the kings of the velodrome in 2004, topping the table with five gold and nine in total, but since then have been playing catch-up to the dominant British team.

Meares's feat in making the final comes only seven months after she returned home from a World Cup race in a wheelchair following a crash which almost left her permanently paralysed.

As well as winning sprint bronze in Athens, she is also the champion in the now defunct Olympic event of the 500 metre time trial.

The 27-year-old Pendleton is the first British woman to win Olympic gold in track cycling's blue riband event.

Pendleton competed in Athens, where she came away with a ninth place in the sprint and a sixth place in the time trial, won by Meares.

Guo Shuang picked up the bronze, China's first track cycling medal of the Games, and just the second in Olympic history, following Jiang Yonghua's silver medal from the women's 500m time trial in Athens.

Guo had battled Meares for a place in the final and beat the Australian 2-1.

However Guo was disqualified by the race jury for entering Meares's lane as they rounded the final bend in the decider.

She went on to win bronze by dominating Willy Kanis of the Netherlands over two legs.

-ABC/AFP

10 ways Britain changed over the weekend

The weekend's goldrush in Beijing has left the British in an unusual position - celebrating real sporting success. And some things will never be the same again.

There have been few Monday mornings like it.

The British have returned to work basking in the glow of a rare sporting success story - winning more Olympics medals in one weekend than it did in three separate decades last century.

On Monday morning, Great Britain lay a heady third in the medals behind those two sporting juggernauts China and the US - and ahead of other powerhouses such as Australia, Germany and Japan.

For a national psyche more attuned to glorious defeat than destroying the opposition, this is uncharted territory indeed. We're already a different country to what we were on Friday afternoon.

1. Most gratifyingly, we can start to talk to Australians about sport on their level. Even if they did overtake us in the medals table for a few hours on Monday morning, your average sport-obsessed Aussie might stop looking down his nose. Just don't expect it to be a courteous exchange. British-born Australian DJ Jono Coleman says the Aussies aren't about to suddenly respect their colonial overlords. Instead they joke that all the British medals come in "sitting down sports" like rowing and cycling. And they also claim credit for Australian coaches behind British success. But underneath the bravado they are scared. "If Team GB remains ahead of Australia come the end of the Olympics, there will be renewed enthusiasm for an Australian republic and they will take the Queen's head off the stamps."

Remember this?

2. Suddenly football is an also-ran. It might be our national sport, but any headlines about the English Premier League kick-off at the weekend were eclipsed by talk of lightweight double sculling and finn class sailing. After a thrilling Euro 2008 in which all British representation was absent, England's 20 top soccer teams are playing second fiddle to Team GB.

3. A pretty dismal summer, with the gloom of the economic crisis matched only by the grey skies, looks a tad brighter, thanks to a new feel-good factor sparked by all those gold medals. "Watching their celebrations, watching how great it makes them feel, that transfers on to us as well and we feel part of it," says life coach Jeremy Milnes. "When we listen to the commentaries, it's the GB Team and how well we are doing and that use of language draws us into it and makes us feel part of it," says Milnes, whose enthusiasm alone sounds like a pre-match pep talk. "That transfer of emotion makes us feel great."

4. Everyone can say Yngling. This is the class in sailing in which the women's trio of Sarah Ayton, Sarah Webb and Pippa Wilson repeated their success in Athens and won gold.

5. The Union Flag is back, partly because of an International Olympic Committee ruling which bans spectators carrying the flags of Wales, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and any other nations not competing in the Games. So is a Union Jack renaissance in the UK on the horizon? "I suspect it will be a temporary thing, it's not going to substantially affect a nationalist movement in Scotland or Wales," says Ian Sumner at the Flag Institute.

This might be a good time to push out our chest and lift our head above the barriers Professor Leo Hendry

6. Forget glorious defeat, that's all in the past. Suddenly the images of those ultimately doomed penalty shootouts and Tim Henman never getting to a Wimbledon final seem a long time ago. And if the medals fire up a renewed enthusiasm for London 2012, perhaps the memory of the Millennium Dome fiasco, the opening of Terminal 5 and other grand projects mismanaged will soon be consigned to history as well. For a moment, let's forget characteristic British modesty says Professor Leo Hendry. "This might be a good time to push out our chest and lift our head above the barriers."

7. Mansfield is on the map again. Lord Byron once lived nearby, and now there's another famous name associated with it - Rebecca Adlington, double-gold medal winning swimmer.

8. Injury misery for Paula Radcliffe no longer plunges the nation into sporting despair. If we need any reminders how we felt when the marathon runner, who finished in 23rd place in Beijing, broke down in Athens, think how the Chinese are feeling having seen the nation's golden boy Liu Xiang limp out of the hurdles. One newsreader was apparently in tears telling the nation the news.

9. Lottery cash suddenly looks like money well spent. There was even a British gymnast winning a medal. Louis Smith was the first Briton on the podium in 80 years.

10. We're all about to become BMX fans. With a dozen golds under out belts, the nation is thirsty for more and among our brightest prospects over the coming days is British BMX world champion Shanaze Reade. Those who might have scoffed at the notion of including stunt cycling for the first time in the programme for the world's greatest sports event are busy devouring their words.

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Add your comments on this story, using the form below.

Wouldn't it be lovely if the image of Britain currently encapsulated by boozy and chemical hedonism and being obsessed by making short-term financial gains were replaced by the image of glorious, world-beating performances, the resulting natural highs and a determination to be and stay brilliant shown by some of our Olympians?
Matthew, Southampton, Great Britain

'If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two imposters just the same...' No longer the nation's favourite poem? Just a thought.
Teresa, Sussex

For all these decades where we Aussies have heaped derision on you poms' sporting mishaps, inwardly, at least I have felt somewhat sorry for all of you. What's wrong with all of you, I've thought. With your recent excursion to the top of the tables, I can't help feeling your joy. After all, it's only temporary, so you might as well enjoy the view whilst you're there. And, we Australians are not afraid. That's un-Australian.
Roger, Melbourne, Australia

I'd sooner want to see England competing and not winning, than 'Great Britain' competing at all.
Tom, Yorkshire

Nice, but not exactly earth-shattering. Things have come to a pretty pass where 'Britain' is on cloud nine over sports we've previously never heard of, and won't be giving the time of day once the Olympics have finished. If was athletics then we'd really have something to shout about.
Sportsfan, London

Having watched some of the Olympics for the first time this weekend I felt completely opposed to the sentiments expressed in this article. Rather I remember when the Olympics was about amateur sporting endeavour rather than tax-payer funded 'full-time' athletes in minor sports cynically racking up the medal count like former communist countries. Spare a thought for those true amateur athletes from less privileged countries no longer able to compete with the lucky few. Other than five to ten minutes of so-called glory on television I can't help feeling the money would have been better spent on saving or investing in school sports facilities, and letting adult sports find funding commensurate with their commercial popularity. Continually hearing the words 'Team Great Britain' rather than make me proud, was just a reminder that big spending centralised government has been mis-directing scarce tax payers resources in a bid to temporarily buy our happiness whilst also playing up the Union.
Stephen, London

As an expat living here in Oz for 14 years, I have found myself actually looking for the Brits in the various Olympic events with a feeling of optimism instead of impending doom! Go GB (and of course, "Come on Ozzie, Come on", if no Brit available!"
Lee, Perth, Western Australia

What a fantastic weekend of sport. Not only are the Brits winning golds, but there is a noticeably change in mentality of the Team GB. We no longer wish only to compete and 'experience' an Olympics, we want to win, win WIN!!! Just look at the pain on the women's faces of the quadruple skulls at coming second! I think we should keep up the momentum, once again be proud in our nation and start a resurgence in raising the Union Jack. This would make a great campaign leading into the London games.
Stephen Lowdon, North Yorkshire

We recently returned from watching the World Baton-Twirling championships in Limerick, Ireland, I am certainly supportive of the campaign to include it as an Olympic sport. The athletes and level of sportsmanship we witnessed there was inspirational and deserves recognition. Give the 'modern' events (including BMXing)a chance!
Angela Stock, London UK

"Sitting down sports"? Those Aussies had better be careful, the bulk of their medals come from "lying down, floating in water sports!". It just goes to confirm the old adage that the world's most sporty nation remains the least sporting. Fantastic effort by the whole of team GB... pity that the ever political Alec Salmond wants hive off the Scottish medallists for his own party political celebrations when they get home.
Anglophone, Wells

China's Chen wins men's rings gold

China's Chen Yibing gave a flawless display of strength and control to win the men's rings title at the Olympics on Monday, underlining the hosts' dominance of the gymnastics at the Games.
The double world champion kept his cool and the rings still to score 16.600, beating team mate and all-round champion Yang Wei by 0.175. Ukraine's Oleksandr Vorobiov grabbed the bronze.

Bulgarian Jordan Jovtchev, the 2004 silver medalist and second best qualifier, had trouble holding his final handstand and hopped forward on his landing to finish last of the eight gymnasts.

It was China's sixth gymnastics gold medal in Beijing, their best haul from the sport at an Olympics.

China loses main chance for track glory

China lost its main hope for a track gold on Monday when 110 meters hurdles Olympic champion and national hero Liu Xiang pulled out injured from the Games.

His painful departure in front of shocked fans at the Bird's Nest stadium took the gloss off an otherwise magnificent Games for China, who lead with 35 golds on Day Ten and look untouchable even by perennial medal-league winners the United States.

They have 19 gold medals.

After a false start in his first-round heat, Liu, whose face adorns billboards across China, clutched his leg and walked off the track. Fans in Beijing's Bird's Nest stadium looked stunned and volunteers were seen openly weeping.

"Liu was very, very upset," said China's athletics head coach Feng Shuyong of Liu's hamstring injury. "He would not have withdrawn unless the pain was intolerable."

Along with NBA basketball player Yao Ming, the 25-year-old Liu is China's best-known sportsman.

He became his country's first male Olympic track champion in Athens 2004 and was China's best chance for an athletics gold in Beijing though he faced a stiff rival in Cuba's Dayron Robles.

Such was the weight of national expectation on Liu that he had not even been allowed to drive a car for fear of injury in a carefully-closeted buildup to the Beijing Games.

The son of a Shanghai truck-driver, Liu was initially selected at age seven as a future high jumper on the basis of bone measurements, but later took to hurdling and became an overnight star and multi-millionaire with gold in 2004.

Chinese fans were upset but sympathetic.

"I am extremely disappointed and I think he may have wanted to win too much and could have caved under the pressure," said 27-year-old He Sheng, who came from a southern province with just one Olympics ticket to see Liu race in Monday's heat.

College student Hu Xinliang, 21, said China had imposed too big a burden of hope on Liu. "He is now free," he said.

Before Liu's event, Usain Bolt breezed through a 200 meters heat in his quest to be the first man to win the Olympic sprint double since Carl Lewis in 1984.

The showboating Jamaican won the blue riband 100 meters final at the weekend, smashing the world record to join record-breaking American swimmer Michael Phelps as the 2008 Olympics poster-boys.

Mugging for cameras on his way to the block and wearing new golden shoes with "Beijing 200m" on them, Bolt barely broke sweat as he strode through his 200m heat, clearly keeping some juice in the tank for Wednesday's final as he slowed to cross second.

JAMAICAN JOY

The 21-year-old's performances, including his astonishing 100m final win when he pumped his chest in joy before crossing the line, have injected some much-needed glamour into athletics and brought celebrations across his Caribbean homeland.

Jamaica's women also took a clean sweep of medals in the women's 100m on Sunday night.

So what makes the land of laid-back reggae so speedy too?

"It's part of the natural ability of Jamaicans, I don't know, maybe it's in the water," Sports Minister Olivia Grange said.

It is China, though, slowly emerging as the new superpower of sport -- perhaps an inevitable trend given that the 1.3 billion population represent a fifth of humanity and a formidable Soviet-style sports system is geared to maximizing medals.

Since World War Two, only the United States and the Soviet Union have topped final Games medals tables.

But in the last Games in Athens, China came second, taking 32 golds to America's 36. This time, the hosts should go one better, even though the Americans can make ground in track-and-field.

That might usher in a new era of Chinese Olympics dominance to match Beijing's emerging global economic superpower status.

State news agency Xinhua said China's dominance of the Games reflected the traditional "host effect" of the Olympics, while a senior Chinese team official cautioned their medals haul would probably slow down in the second half of the Games.

Apart from China and the U.S., Britain are the only other country to have reached double figures in Beijing so far thanks to a strong showing in rowing, cycling, sailing and -- more surprisingly -- swimming.

The 2012 Olympics hosts have 11 golds and are on course for the best total since they first organized the Games in 1908. British media are already calling it "The Great Haul of China".

The first gold on Monday went to Australia when Emma Snowsill won the women's triathlon by over a minute, having time to collect a flag and slap hands with spectators before finishing.

"It's a fantastic feeling," she said.

Swimming phenomenon Phelps was finally resting on Monday after writing a new page in sports history with his record eight golds at one Olympics. That took him past fellow swimmer Mark Spitz's 1972 feat.

Phelps, who howled in protest at his first swimming lesson when a child because he did not want to get his face wet, is the most successful Olympian of all time.

(Editing by Jon Bramley)

Snowsill turns tragedy into triumph

Australia's Olympic triathlon champion Emma Snowsill says she poured her "heart and soul" into the sport after being struck by tragedy early in her career.

Snowsill was just 19 when her boyfriend and fellow triathlete Luke Harrop was killed in a hit-and-run accident while bike training on Queensland's Gold Coast.

Several years later, and wearing Australia's first triathlon gold medal in Beijing, Snowsill said the loss had made her realise how lucky she was just to be alive and competing.

"Lessons learned through life are there not necessarily for good or bad reasons, you just have to take them as they are and move on," she reflected.

"I think triathlon is a passion. I've really put my heart and soul into it and every ounce of energy, so I'm very lucky to be able to do that and to be here."

More shocks were to come for Snowsill, who missed Australia's 2004 Olympic team despite winning the first of three world titles a year earlier.

Last year she was staggered to be diagnosed with asthma, raising concerns about her ability to compete in Beijing's notorious smog.

"Everybody has a personal story. I think everybody deals with it in different ways," she said.

"Definitely I can only look forward to tomorrow. You can't change the past, you can only take control of the moment now and the foreseeable future."

The 27-year-old Commonwealth champion ran a blistering road race in clear but hot conditions to seal the title by more than a minute from Vanessa Fernandes of Portugal.

Snowsill's father Garry praised his daughter's hard work, and said she had to make big sacrifices to win gold.

"It's her life, she trains six hours a day, six days a week minimum," he said.

"And you can get a pretty good idea by just looking at her web site, because it shows some of her training programs. She sacrifices a lot."

-ABC/AFP

Double gold for Australia in 470 sailing

Women's pair Tessa Parkinson and Elise Rechichi have delivered Australia its second sailing gold medal of the day with victory in the 470 class at Qingdao.

Parkinson and Rechichi, the youngest members of Australia's sailing team, made it an Australian sweep of the 470 class after men's pair Nathan Wilmot and Malcolm Page won their medal race earlier in the day.

The Australian girls took a huge lead into the medal race over their nearest rivals, Dutch pair Marcelien de Koning and Lobke Berkhout.

De Koning and Berkhout won silver and Brazil's Fernanda Oliveira and Isabel Swan claimed bronze.

The only way Parkinson and Rechichi could have lost their grip on gold was if they finished last in the final race and the Dutch pair claimed victory.

But the Brazilian pair won the final race to guarantee Australia gold after they coasted home to finish ninth.

The Australian pair got their medal race tactics right by herding the Dutch out wide on the course in the early skirmishes, relegating their rivals to last at the first mark.

The Dutch were forced to play catch-up and although they steadily worked their way past some stragglers, their chance of gold had gone.

Rechichi said they planned to hook up with Wilmot and Page and party.

"When we crossed the finish line we were screaming and crying and shouting. We're so stunned we cannot stop laughing," she said.

"We're very excited. we're going to the find the boys (Wilmot and Page) and our families and we'll go party."

Parkinson and Rechichi's gold handed Australia its third gold medal on day 10, together with the men's 470 gold and Emma Snowsill's triathlon gold medal.

The women's win took Australia's gold medal tally to 11 so far in Beijing.

Men's gold

Wilmot and Page went into the race with the gold virtually guaranteed, needing only to complete the course as they entered sitting in first place on 42 points, 22 ahead of nearest rival the Netherlands.

The pair held such an advantage after their 10-race opening series that they only had to make a genuine attempt to start the medal race to be assured of gold under racing rules.

They won the title in style, though, taking out the medal race.

Britain's Nick Rogers and Joe Glanfield won silver and France's Nicolas Charbonnier and Olivier Bausset took bronze.

Wilmot, 28, and Page, 36, announced earlier this year they would retire from 470 dinghy sailing after the Beijing Games.

Page did leave the door open for a 2012 campaign, but said his first priority was to head for the dining hall.

"We're going to have a nice buffet with lots of food. We plan on getting fat and as far as another Olympics go, we'll have to wait and see," Page told reporters.

Consistency throughout the regatta had put the triple world champions in a commanding position. They failed to win one of the 10 preliminary races but had seven top-five placings.

"Today we were pretty relaxed and we were joking around," Wilmot said. "We saw all the boats behind us and we thought 'we might as well win our only Olympic medal race'".

-ABC/Reuters