The 16-year-old had been expected to go home with a stash of gold medals after picking up three titles at the world championships in 2007.

But she had to wait until the final day of the competition to make her mark at the Games, with a score of 16.225.

She edged out fellow American and all-round champion Liukin by 0.200 of a point, while Cheng collected bronze with 15.950.

WRESTLING * Henry Cejudo gave the United States its first wrestling gold medal of the Olympic Games yesterday with a clinical victory over Japan's Tomohiro Matsunaga in the men's 55-kg freestyle.

Besik Kudukhov of Russia and Bulgaria's Radoslav Velikov, both former world titleholders, won bronze medals.

Cejudo, a 21-year-old from Colorado Springs taking part in his first Olympics, had tears in his eyes as he wrapped himself in the Stars and Stripes, following a winning campaign he attributes to his "American way" of non-stop wrestling.

Coach Mike Duroe lifted Cejudo off the floor in a bear-hug.

CYCLING * Argentina scored a major upset in the men's Madison Olympic track cycling race yesterday, taking control of the 50-km race to win the gold medal.

Spain won silver and Russia took the bronze.

The three teams were the only ones that managed to lap the main bunch during the 200-lap race.

World champions Britain, who had been heavily favoured to win with the team of Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish, never managed to pick up enough speed or momentum to lap the bunch and finished far back.

SYNCHRONISED SWIMMING * Spain's synchronised swimmers have been banned from wearing a swimsuit with embedded waterproof lights which they had hoped would give an extra sparkle to their Olympic routine.

"It got very sophisticated because obviously the battery doesn't last long and then we had to look at circuits and interrupters, so we have been working on it around two months with a crack team," swimmer Andrea Fuentes said.

ATHLETICS * Kenyans forgot their ethnic tensions and took to the streets to celebrate the seven medals their athletes have so far collected at the Beijing Olympics.

Kenya has a history of excellence in athletics on the track and on Monday it bagged two golds, one silver and a bronze prompting countrywide celebrations.

Brimin Kiprop Kipruto won gold for the men's 3,000 metre steeplechase while Pamela Jelimo won the women's 800 metres.

Nampa-Reuters

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