By Vera Atkinson FIG Editor.

A NEW STAR IS BORN

Men's Parallell Bars: The return of a hero

Gold: LI Xiaopeng CHN 16.450 - Silver: Yoo Won Chul KOR 16.250 Bronze: Anton Fokin UZB 16.200.

LI Xiaopeng CHN, the 2000 Olympic Champion on P. Bars is back! He won his second Gold on his 'crown apparatus' in the closing day of the Gymnastics tournament at the National Indoor Stadium in Beijing!

Five of the finalists had major breaks, or serious form faults as can be seen in the B scores. The medallists were clean, especially Fokin UZB (B score 9.400) and Li Xiaopeng (B score 9.550), and executed their difficulties (Dimitrienko's, Belle's and Morisue's) with ease.

In Li Xiaopeng's case, his flawless exercise ended with a near perfect double pike somersault dismount. Fokin used a rarely seen double front somersault dismount. His Bronze medal is the first for a male Uzbek gymnast! Huang XU CHN and the two Koreans in the Final Yoo Wonchul and Yang Taeyoung KOR performed with - highest difficulty of 7.00pts.

Men's High Bar: A surprise finish

Gold:  Zou Kai CHN 16.200 - Silver: Jonathan Horton USA 16.175 - Bronze: Fabian Hambuechen GER 15.875.

Until tonight, China has never won the Olympic title on High Bar. Now it has! Zou Kai (20) started these games as the youngest member of the Chinese team, but ended them as the most successful male gymnast in these Olympic Games - 3 Gold medals, first with the Team, then surprisingly, on Floor, and Finally, on High Bar!

Against some of the greatest High Bar workers in the world, with proven track records and titles to prove it, Zou Kai CHN would have been a rank outsider in the formbook.  However, the party is not over 'until the fat lady sings' and some of our stars were found lacking when it mattered.

The audience could see from their reactions as they left the podium that maybe in combination or due to a fall all was not well.

Nevertheless two gymnasts stayed the course and were rewarded with more that 16.00points - ZOU and Horton USA. Fabian Hambuechen, the 2007 World Champion took the bronze.

Potential medallists Epke Zonderland NED and Yann Cucherat FRA took the risk and ost; Tomita was at his best until his dismount.

Women's Beam: American sweep

Gold: Shawn Johnson USA 16.225 - Silver: Nastia Liukin USA 16.026 - Bronze: Cheng Fei CHN 15.950.

Throughout all 4 competitions the top two Americans, Johnson and Liukin, have shown incredible stability and steadiness on the one apparatus that can test the balance to the limit, and in this final they were in a class of their own. They were the only two gymnasts to penetrate 16.00 pts. and their exercises were wobble free.

Johnson uses the beam as a tumbling track, showing straight, piked, tucked and full twisting back somersaults and dismounted with full in back out. Elegant and supple Liukin showing stunning leaps and free walkovers followed by free walkover to arabesque with the leading B score 9.425, could not match Johnson's massive Difficulty score of 7.000pts.

Cheng Fei stayed the course, and her full twisting back somersault, to take the bronze. Once again, Pavlova came close but a missed ½ turn jump to handstand cost her dearly (4th place), 2007 World Silver medallists Li Shanshan (in a tie with Nistor, ROM), who scored highest in the Qualifications, 16.125, unfortunately fell from the beam (full twisting into straddle position on the beam) and lost her chances to medal.

MEN'S TRAMPOLINE FINAL - CHINA'S FINAL HIT

Gold: LU Chunlong CHN 41.00 Silver: Jason Burnett CAN 40.70 - Bronze: DONG Gong CHN 40.60.

Jason Burnett's CAN strategy almost paid off!  He raised his difficulty score to 16.80 and with a score of 40.70 split the Chinese LU and DONG to take the Silver medal.  He also pressurised Nikitin, the 2004 Olympic Champion and the young Russian stylist Ushakov: let us not forget that Burnett was second in the Start List.

Height line and style are the trademarks print of Chinese Trampoline gymnasts, but DONG couldn't match the Canadian and he was edged by 0.10pts. into the Bronze medal slot.

With Lu an increased level of height and style proved that execution can pay the real dividends. 41.00pts. and Gold medal.

An exiting and tactical Final that almost brought Canada a Gold!