India celebrated their first individual Olympic gold medal on Monday and American swimmers kept Michael Phelps's dream alive by a finger-tip.
The usually cool Phelps screamed and pumped the air with joy as his U.S. team mates helped maintain his charge for an unprecedented eight golds in the pool, pipping France in the 4x100 metres freestyle relay.
Indians banged drums and danced in the streets after the world's second most populous nation won their first individual Olympic title with Abhinav Bindra's gold in the men's 10m air rifle.
"Now I have lots of work ahead as he is the country's most eligible bachelor," joked his mother Babli Bindra, speaking to Reuters from the family home in Chandigarh.
Like many winners in Beijing on Monday, Bindra needed a remarkable comeback, shooting a near perfect hit at the end.
"It's the thrill of my life," he said after a win that left China's defending champion Zhu Qinan sobbing with only silver.
A familiar shadow fell over the Games when a Spanish cyclist became the first competitor to fail a drugs test in China.
Maria Isabel Moreno was caught taking the endurance-boosting EPO drug, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said.
The IOC tested the entire Spanish cycling team three times before competition began, getting tough after a series of past scandals have marred the reputation of the sport and country.
"It's time that Spanish authorities start to do some concretely," the president of the International Cycling Union, Pat McQuaid, told Reuters. "For years they have not been tough enough on doping and this is the result of their leniency."
Phelps is counting off the golds in world records as he bids to surpass Mark Spitz's record of seven golds in 1972.
Again watched by U.S. President George Bush in the Water Cube, he left the Americans second after the first leg, trailing to a French team who had vowed to "smash" them.
With just a lap to go, France's former record holder Alain Bernard led by half a body length, but an astonishing comeback from Jason Lezak took the gold by a finger-tip.
"Jason finished that race better than we could even ask for," Phelps said. "I was so fired up."
The Americans took nearly four seconds off the world record, a big margin in swimming. In all, five relay teams beat it, while Eamon Sullivan claimed the individual world record from Bernard when he led the Australian team off on the first lap.
SHIMMERING POOL
The event left Phelps with two golds, after he destroyed his own world record on Sunday to win the 400 individual medley.
Having won six in Athens, Phelps needs only two more to have the most golds of any Olympian.
Also bringing the crowd to their feet in the shimmering pool venue, the most decorated Asian swimmer of all time, Japan's Kosuke Kitajima, justified his pre-race hype by shaving 0.22 seconds off the world record to win the 100 breaststroke.
Women swimmers were not to be outdone.
Rebecca Adlington won Britain's first Olympic women's swimming title in nearly half a century with a last-gasp victory in the 400 freestyle after being fourth at the final turn.
Australia's Libby Trickett had gone into the 2004 Games as world record holder for 100 freestyle but burst into tears the first time she saw the pool and failed to make the final.
This time she overcame another attack of nerves to claim gold in the women's 100 butterfly.
"Before the race I felt as if I was going to vomit I was that nervous," she said.
Zimbabwe's Kirsty Coventry had vowed to show her nation in a positive light in China despite its economic and political crisis. She did just that by shaving 0.20 seconds off the world record for the 100 backstroke during her semi-final.
The tennis tournament got into full swing after rain delays, Spain's Rafael Nadal surviving a scare to defeat Italian Potito Starace 6-2 3-6 6-2. Switzerland's Roger Federer shook off recent wobbles to cruise through in straight sets, while Serena Williams also recorded a comfortable win in the women's first round.
The pressure of expectations may be getting to China's shooters, another gold hopeful failing in the women's trap to add to a string of disappointments.
But it was a happier story for the hosts in the diving competition, with a second gold in two days thanks to a near-perfect performance by world champions Lin Yue and Huo Liang in the men's synchronised 10m platform diving.
Chen Yanqing won another weightlifting gold for China in the women's 58kg. The daughter of poor peasants, she defended her title to become the first woman to win two weightlifting golds.
Georgian and Russian shooters have embraced warmly despite their nations' fighting in South Ossetia and there was no animosity when Cuba met the United States in women's volleyball.
Cuba crushed the Americans in straight sets, then wished them best of luck for the rest of the tournament. By early evening on Monday, China led the medal table with eight gold, to four for South Korea and the U.S. on three.
The hosts hope to knock the U.S. off their perch at the top of the final medals table, to underline China's growing political and economic might.
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