China crash to first place

Beijing: A crash landing off the asymmetric bars by He Kexin failed to stop China from upstaging an injury-hit US team in women's qualifying at the Olympics on Sunday.

The two gymnastics super-powers headed for a golden showdown in Wednesday's team final but both had to overcome setbacks on the opening day of the women's competition.

He, one of the favourites for the asymmetric bars title, drew gasps from the crowd as she executed four stunning release-and-catch combinations in a high-flying routine.

But she slipped off while attempting to glide from the higher to the lower bar in what is usually a simple manoeuvre.

After remounting the apparatus and completing her dismount, the 16-year-old burst into tears and had to be consoled by her coach. Despite the spill, she still scored a respectable 15.725.

Minor mishap

Such is the depth of talent in the Chinese team, they were able to make light of the mishap and set the benchmark with a combined total of 248.275 points. World champions the US earned 246.800, Russia were third with 244.400 and Romania's hold on the Olympic title looked shaky as they trailed a distant fourth.

The day began badly for the Americans when Samantha Peszek injured her ankle in the warm-up. They had only four healthy gymnasts in their line-up and knew there was little room for error as every score would count.