Phelps scoops sixth gold

BEIJING (Reuters) - Michael Phelps scorched to his sixthgold and his sixth world record at the Beijing Olympics onFriday in a great day for the United States in the pool and inwomen's gymnastics.

Crowds poured into the Bird's Nest stadium on the first dayof blue skies for the start of track and field events, with thebig names coasting through their heats in the men's 100 metres.

Nastia Liukin restored national honour for U.S. womengymnasts after they lost the team event to the Chinese. Adazzling floor exercise somersaulted her to victory ahead offellow American Shawn Johnson and China's Yang Yilin.

"My dad is the reason why I became Olympic champion today,"said Liukin after they became the first daughter-father act towin golds in artistic gymnastics. Father Valery won two goldsfor the Soviet Union at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

China had dominated in gymnastics in the first week,winning the first three golds on offer.

Another faking controversy enveloped the opening ceremony,once again underlining the enormous lengths China is going tomake the Games a successful showcase of its resurgent might.

Organisers said children dressed in ethnic costumes whocarried the Chinese flag at the opening ceremony were notactually from those ethnic groups.

Many ethnic groups, particularly Tibetans, chafe under therule of the dominant Han Chinese. The ruling Communist Party'sstress on national unity is regarded by critics as code for therepression of dissent.

It is the third faking incident to hit the openingceremony, after it emerged that computer-generated specialeffects had replaced "live" fireworks and an angelic littlegirl had lip-synched a song as the real singer was not prettyenough.

Many sports are struggling under the shadow of drugscheats, and on Friday North Korean Kim Jong-su, who won silverand bronze in shooting, became the first medallist to testpositive for drugs. Organisers said his medals had beenrescinded.

BROAD SMILE

In the magnificent, colour-changing Water Cube, Phelps isclosing in on Mark Spitz's record of seven golds in a Games.

The 23-year-old now has 12 career Olympic golds, three morethan anyone else. Like Spitz in 1972, all of his golds at theseGames have come in world record times.

Phelps gave a quick shake of his fist after victory in the200 metres individual medley but burst into a broad smile onthe podium later.

He could equal Spitz in the 100 butterfly final just after10 a.m. (3 a.m. British time) on Saturday and could break therecord in the 4x100 medley relay final just before 11 a.m. onSunday.

"I have to conserve as much physical and emotional energyas I can now that I'm down to the last two races," said Phelps."I'm just going to try and rest and recover as much as I can."

America's Ryan Lochte set another world best time as he wonthe men's 200 backstroke, ahead of compatriot Aaron Peirsol.

"That's the theme of the meet, you have to break a worldrecord to win," Peirsol said.

Team mate Rebecca Soni, who had minor heart surgery twoyears ago, also won the women's 200 breaststroke in a worldrecord time, coming from behind to overtake the 100 metreswinner Leisel Jones from Australia.

It was a double disappointment for Australia's women,dominant in the pool until now, when world champion LibbyTrickett was also overhauled right at the finish by Germany'sBritta Steffen in the 100 freestyle.

SUPERPOWER STATUS

The quest for dominance in the medals table is proving afascinating contest between the United States and China, whichcame second in Athens in 2004. With evening competitionunderway on day seven, China led with 24 golds to theAmericans' 14.

The Communist Party is desperate to underline the country'sgrowing superpower status by overtaking the United States, andChinese athletes have been playing to strengths in events likediving, gymnastics, table tennis and weightlifting.

The gap between the top two may narrow when track and fieldgold medals are decided, and the Americans have high hopes of aclean sweep of the medals in Friday's shot put.

At the start of one of the most eagerly anticipatedcontests of the Games, Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell and Tyson Gaycomfortably won their heats in the men's 100 metres.

The baseball park played host to a couple of politicallytinged thrillers which went down to the wire. It was a good dayfor communism: Cuba beat the United States 5-4, and rookiesChina defeated Taiwan 8-7.

The match-ups perhaps meant more to the politicalunderdogs. In Havana, Cubans crammed around TV sets late in thenight, and work stopped in Taipei as enthralled locals watchedevents unfold.

"It's just like in history," said Mao Ai-fen, a governmentemployee in Taiwan. "Last night we lost to (former coloniser)Japan, and today we lost to the Communist bandits."

(Reporting by Beijing Olympic bureau; Editing by JeremyLaurence)