China shores up medal advantage over US

BEIJING  - China was pipped to gymnastics gold Friday but won two more weightlifting titles and another in judo to shore up its advantage over the United States as the athletics program kicked off.

China sits on 25 gold medals, 11 more than the US who picked up three more in the pool and one in gymnastics.

But the hosts' weak point has traditionally been track and field with few serious medal chances, giving the Americans a chance to claw themselves back into the race to be named the world's top sporting nation.

China though had some success with lifter Cao Lei winning the women's 75kg and Lu Yong claiming the men's 85kg, giving the country their their seventh and eighth weightlifting golds of the Games.

"This medal is dedicated to my motherland and to the people, but also to my dear mother who passed away recently," Cao said, holding the medal before her as she broke down again at a news conference after the awarding ceremony.

Heavyweight judoka Tong Wen clinched the women's +78kg crown by scoring an ippon with just 16 seconds remaining to depose Japan's Maki Tsukada, the gold medallist from Athens.