Golden girls no more: China beats Americans

BEIJING _ China upset the error-prone United States in the women's gymnastics team final at the Beijing Olympics on Wednesday.

China's score of 188.9 points was more than two points ahead of the Americans, a blowout in a competition that was supposed to be decided by the slimmest of margins.

It was the first Olympic gold for China, who beat the Americans for their first world title in 2006. And it was yet another disappointing silver medal for the Americans, who came in to the Athens Games as overwhelming favorites only to falter and lose to the Romanians.

This year, Romania finished third.

With the two best gymnasts in the world and the Olympic gold medal at their fingertips, the Americans bumbled and fumbled it away.

The U.S. went before the Chinese in the final rotation, the floor exercise. And after team captain Alicia Sacramone landed her second pass flat on her back, the gold medal was gone. Sacramone knew it, crouching on the steps by the floor, her head buried in her hands, disbelief etched across her face.

But hers was not the only mistake. Shawn Johnson -- the reigning all-around and floor world champion -- stepped out of bounds on floor. So did Nastia Liukin.

That meant China's final three routines were mere victory dances, and Deng Linlin, Jiang Yuyuan and Cheng Fei played the part to perfection.

With the crowd roaring and shouting "Jia You! Jia You!" they flitted and fluttered with wide smiles on their faces. Even their small errors hardly mattered, swept up in the roar of the crowd.