China gymnast Yang Wei performs his floor routine during the men's team final. China won the gold.

BEIJING (AP):

CHINA'S MALE gymnasts have something in common with Michael Phelps: they are as dominant in their sport as the American is in the pool.

While Phelps won his third gold medal yesterday (China time) in the 200-metre 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 US took the bronze.

Impressive number

Phelps has nine Olympic golds, tying him with four others for the most in Olympic history. The Chinese gymnastics team is equally impressive inter-nationally: 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.

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

Chinese divers look set to match their gymnastic com-patriots' 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 the competition in the women's synchro 10-metre platform.

Breaking record

United States' Michael Phelps swims to the gold as he sets a new world record in the men's 200-metre freestyle final. - AP Photos

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 one 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-metre 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 went for his fourth and fifth medals, and 10th and 11th overall, last night (Ja time) in the 200 butterfly and the 4x200 freestyle relay. He was the fastest qualifier yesterday in the butterfly, in which he holds the world record.

Defend title

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.

Liao Hui of China won the other weightlifting gold yesterday, in the men's 69-kilogramme class.

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.

Good day

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

Germany had a good day in the equestrian events, taking gold medals in both team and individual eventing.

Hinrich Romeike scored 54.2 penalty points on Marius to edge Gina Miles of the US into second place.

The team gold came down to the last rider for each team, which were separated by only one dropped jump rail.