在中国体育界，中国体操算得上是一个“特区”——多年来一直呈现“阳盛阴衰”的现象。不过，今天凌晨，中国女子体操队在世界锦标赛上夺取团体冠军的佳绩已在告诉世界，我们正在弥补这一缺憾。被视为中国女队新领军人的程菲赛后强调，没有被当成夺冠热门恰恰帮助了中国队最终夺冠。“在决赛之前我们和美国队之间存在一些差距。这在比赛中反而成为一件好事，它让我们能够在没有任何压力的情况下去比赛。”程菲一语中地指出了中美胜负的关键，而她自己也用行动推动着中国女队，在中国的传统弱项跳马和自由体操中，程菲都拿下了全队最高分，而自由操则成为这个项目的全场最高分。

Gymnast Zhang Nan of China performs her routine on the beam during the women's team final at the 39th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Aarhus, Denmark. China won the title ahead of the US and Russia. [AFP]

China claimed their second gold medal of the world gymnastics championships when they won their first women's world team title. 

Defending champions the United States, led by world champion Chellsie Memmel, had to settle for silver with Russia claiming bronze after the eight-team final.

The Chinese, bronze medallists at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, pulled ahead after their third rotation of four, the beam, when Zhang Nan and Pang Panpan went 1-2 to carry a 0.850 lead into the final round on floor where Cheng Fei gave the top performance of the night in that discipline.

Cheng, 18, admitted that the fact they had not been favourites had helped.

"Before the championship there was a gap between us (and the US)," said Cheng. "This was a good thing as it allowed us to practice without any pressure.

"With little pressure we were able to give a good performance and pull out all our best techniques."

The Chinese scored 182.200 points after the four apparatus with the United States finishing on 181.350 and Russia on 177.325.

Olympic champions Romania finished fourth with 175.450.

The Americans, who won the title for the first time at home in Anaheim in 2003, had looked dominant in qualifiers but they struggled from the outset in the finals as they competed in the same group as the Chinese.

China were in third after the vault behind Romania and the US with Cheng, Zhou Zhuoru, Zhang Nan stepping forward on their landings.

But they began to make up ground when world silver medallist on uneven bars Memmel fell on her face and Bieger also made errors during that rotation.

Liukin pulled the US into the lead in the uneven bars with less than a point separating the Americans, Chinese and third-placed Romania.

And the Chinese surged ahead after Zhang, 20, and Pang, 18, went 1-2 on the beam when Memmel slipped, with China taking a 0.875-point lead into the final round on floor.

There their only error was a minor one by Zhang on a dance element.

Taking to the floor last the Americans could not afford to slip-up only for Bieger to step out of limits.

Cheng took top marks of the floor (15.650) ahead of Memmel and Pang and it was enough to seal victory.

The competition continues Thursday with the men's and women's all-around finals where Japan's Hiroyuki Tomita and Memmel will be defending their respective titles. 

(Agencies)