Phelps, Chinese gymnasts dominate Day IV

Beijing: China's male gymnasts have something in common with Michael Phelps: they're as dominant in their sport as the American is in the pool.

While Phelps won his third gold medal on Tuesday in the 200meter freestyle, putting him nearly halfway to his quest of eight to break Mark Spitz's record from 1972, the Chinese gymnasts finished off what they started in qualifying on Saturday.

They easily won the gold medal in the finals of the team event, more than seven points ahead of 2004 champion Japan. The United States took the bronze.

Phelps has nine Olympic golds, tying him with four others for the most in Olympic history.

The Chinese gymnastics team is equally impressive internationally: winning three straight world titles and seven of the last eight, 10 individual world titles and now, after a collapse at Athens, a second Olympic team gold.

Li Xiaopeng, 27 and competing in his third Olympics for China, said, "I think I'm a little old for a gymnast."

"We had been through a lot over the last eight years," Li said. "We put so much effort into this competition."

Chinese divers look set to match their gymnastic compatriots' exploits, winning their third gold in three events and with a sweep of all eight looking possible.

Wang Xin and Chen Ruolin scored 363.54 points to finish nearly 30 points ahead of second-place Australia (Briony Cole and Melissa Wu) in the women's 10-meter synchro platform.

Racing out of lane six at the Water Cube, Phelps surged to the lead and led by a full body length halfway through the second of four laps and was ahead of the world record pace for nearly the whole race.

He was nearly two seconds ahead of second-place Park Tae-hwan when he touched in 1 minute, 42.96 seconds, breaking the mark of 1:43.86 he set at last year's world championships.

"I just wanted to be out at the 50-meter point and that's where I was," Phelps said. "I was in open water and it was difficult for the other guys to see me."

The American will go for his fourth and fifth medals, and 10th and 11th overall, on Wednesday in the 200 butterfly and the 4x200 freestyle relay.

He was the fastest qualifier on Tuesday in the butterfly, in which he holds the world record.

Elsewhere in the pool, the Americans won two other golds. Aaron Peirsol won the 100 backstroke, defending his title with a world-record time.

Natalie Coughlin won the 100 backstroke, becoming the first woman to ever defend her title in the event, while Leisel Jones of Australia took the 100 breaststroke.

Pak Hyon Suk won North Korea's first gold medal of the Olympics with total lifts of 241 kilograms (531.3 pounds) in the women's 63-kg division of weightlifting.

"I am overjoyed by the fact that I have brought joy to our dear general," a stone-faced Pak said through a translator, referring to North Korea's leader Kim Jong Il.

Alexander Grimm of Germany won the single kayak slalom, using a pair of clean, fast runs to take the top spot on the podium.

Cheered on by an enthusiastic crowd, Benjamin Boukpeti of Togo took the bronze medal in the race, his country's first medal ever in the Summer Olympics.

He hugged and kissed his French mother and Togolese father, saying: "They showed me it was possible."

Nazyr Mankiev of Russia won the country's first gold medal of the Beijing Games, beating Rovshan Bayramov of Azerbaijan in the Greco-Roman wrestling 55-kg final.

A short time later, Islam-Beka Albiev won Russia's second gold, defeating Vitaliy Rahimov of Azerbaijan in the 60-kg final.

Ayumi Tanimoto of Japan won the women's 63-kg gold in judo.

In tennis, sisters Serena and Venus Williams advanced to the third round. Serena defeated Samantha Stosur of Australia 6-2, 6-0 in 44 minutes and Venus beat Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic 6-1, 6-4.

Top-ranked Jelena Jankovic beat Alona Bondarenko 7-5, 6-1. Jankovic supplanted Ana Ivanovic at the top of the rankings Monday.

Sixth-seeded Dinara Safina of Russia won her 12th match in a row, beating Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez of Spain 7-6 (3), 6-1. On the men's side, No. 3 Novak Djokovic beat Rainer Schuettler 6-4, 6-2.