Gymnasts Settle for Silver

BEIJING, Aug. 13 -- China's women's gymnastics team completed a gold-medal sweep for the host nation in the team competition Wednesday, taking top honors at the Olympics with a score of 188.900.

The United States, which settled for silver with 186.525 points, never led in the four-event competition and was hurt badly by the performance of its team captain, Alicia Sacramone, who fell on the balance beam and floor.

Sacramone's second error came on the final rotation, the floor. At that point, the United States was within easy distance of overtaking China for the gold, just one point behind.

But Sacramone, an undergraduate at Brown, landed short on her first tumbling pass, and sat back on her rump on the mat.

"The fall on the mat, I thought my feet were beneath me," a red-eyed Sacramone said afterward. "Next thing I know I'm on my back."

Afterward U.S. team coordinator Martha Karolyi suggested that gamesmanship on the part of the event organizers played a role in undermining Sacramone's concentration.

There was a delay in the scoreboard beside the balance beam, which meant Sacramone, who went first among Americans, had to wait several minutes before starting.

Asked how long she could keep her concentration, Sacramone said: "Apparently not long enough."

Regardless of rooting interest, it was a breathtaking show -- with elfin gymnasts defying all notions of gravity with impossible grace.

But on this day, with the world watching and the hopes of their country upon them, the Chinese women did the best job of keeping mistakes to a minimum and their anxiety at bay.

The competition between the United States and host China was one of the more anticipated of these Summer Games, with each nation's place in the sport's global pecking order riding on the shoulders of tiny teenage girls with glitter in their makeup.

For China the stakes were even greater. Its gymnasts have a reputation for choking under pressure at the Olympics, finishing fifth (men) and seventh (women) at Athens in 2004. China's men did their part to vanquish such notions by winning team gold Tuesday. Wednesday it was up to China's women -- five of whom weigh less than 80 pounds.