High-flying Chinese capture gold

The Olympic gold medal was in the Americans' grasp, the title that would say, yes, they really are the world's best team. And they fumbled it away.

With a fall off the beam here, a splat on the floor there and two more steps out of bounds early today, the Americans all but handed the gold medals to the Chinese team.

China's score of 188.9 points was more than two points ahead of the U.S., a blowout in a competition that was supposed to be decided by a slim margin.

"No one else made mistakes, so it's kind of my fault," Sacramone said, still trying to blink back the tears. "I think everybody knows you always have good days and bad days. I just wish today was a good day."

It was a spectacular day for China. The American mistakes turned China's final three routines on floor into victory dances, and oh did Deng Linlin, Jiang Yuyuan and Cheng Fei play their parts to perfection.

Jiang worked the crowd, looking out with a mile-wide smile that made a difficult routine look like fun. Cheng has better springs than just about anyone and, with the pressure off, she made great use of them, bounding across the floor and landing as if she had glue on her feet.

When she threw up her hands after her final pose, her teammates jumped up and down and hugged each other. All the questions about their ages — there were suspicions that perhaps half the team wasn't old enough to compete — didn't distract them. Nor could the expectations of their adoring fans.

They practically floated out of the arena, stopping occasionally to pose for pictures and wave to the cheering fans.

It was the first Olympic gold for China, and now it has both team titles — men and women.

The Americans also went to Athens as the reigning world champs four years ago, only to falter and settle for silver.

"I am not disappointed at all," Shawn Johnson insisted. "We are human when it comes down to it. We make mistakes. And it came down to China had a better day today. Give us another day, we could probably come out on top."

The truth is, the Americans wanted gold, not silver.

The Americans have dominated women's gymnastics since falling short in Athens, winning the world championship last year and a slew of individual titles. They're stocked with the reigning world champ in Johnson, and her closest rival, Nastia Liukin, not to mention 2005 world champ Chellsie Memmel.

But China wasn't far behind; it won world title in '06.

"We're just as good as China," national team coordinator Martha Karolyi said. "We made mistakes. They did not."

Although China led halfway through the meet, the teams finished on balance beam and floor exercise, the Americans' best two events. And when Cheng fell off the beam, it gave the U.S. the opportunity it needed.

Get through those last two events and the gold is assured.

But Sacramone, first up on balance beam, was held up for what seemed like 15 minutes before she was given the go-ahead, and she appeared to get edgier as she paced back and forth.

Sure enough, as she came down to land the somersault that opens her routine, her right foot slipped off the edge of the beam. Sacramone windmilled her arms and twisted her body, but she couldn't save herself and dropped off as the crowd gasped.

"I was just eager to do my routine and get the show on the road," Sacramone said. "The judges decided to hold me and I guess I just let my nerves get the best of me."

Liukin gathered the team together, telling them, "Just shake it off, that's all you can do. Shake it off." And they went over to floor only a point behind.

Sacramone was again first up, and floor is her signature event. She won a world title on it in 2005, and her routines usually have so much sass, they rival anything you see in Vegas.

Not this time. She didn't have her usual sparkle. Or her usual sure-footedness.

On her second tumbling run, her feet slipped out from under her and she fell flat on her back. She briefly shut her eyes before continuing, but her face was a blank the rest of the way.

Local Athlete schedule

Today's events

Baseball

• U.S. vs. South Korea, 3 a.m. U.S. vs. Netherlands, 7 p.m. (Brian Barden, Jason Donald, Mike Koplove)

Softball

• U.S. vs. Canada, 9 p.m. (Alicia Hollowell, Jennie Finch, Tairia Flowers, Lovieanne Jung, Caitlin Lowe)

Volleyball

• U.S. vs. Venezuela, 9 p.m. (Kim Glass)

Swimming

• Women's 100 freestyle, Lacey Nymeyer, 3:33 a.m. prelims; around 7 p.m. semifinals

• Women's 200 breast stroke , Amanda Beard, 4:30 a.m. prelims; 6:55 p.m. semifinals

• Men's 100 free final, 7:49 p.m. Lyndon Ferns (South Africa)

• Men's 200 individual medley, Darian Townsend (South Africa), 4:02 a.m. preliminaries; semifinals around 8 p.m.