China bags golds in canoe and ping-pong

China's Meng Guanliang and Yang Wenjun claimed their second straight Olympic gold in the canoe double 500m at the Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park Saturday.

Meng and Yang finished in 1 minute and 41.025 seconds, fighting off Sergey Ulegin and Alexander Kostoglod of Russia who took silver in 1:41.282. Christian¹ Gille and Thomasz Wylenzek of Germany took bronze in 1:41.964.

"I almost ran out of breath in the last 100 m but what kept me going was the gold medal," Yang said.

Meng Guanliang (R) and Yang Wenjun of China paddle to win during the canoe double (C2) 500m men final at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games August 23, 2008.

Australian Ken² Wallace started the day's races with victory in the men's kayak single 500m.

China took another gold in table tennis, completing a sweep in this event. Ma Lin defeated teammate Wang Hao for the gold in table tennis men's singles final. Earlier, Wang Liqin beat Swedish veteran Jorgen Persson for the bronze.

Ma won the match 11-9, 11-9, 6-11, 11-7, 11-9, becoming the third Chinese player to win the men's singles gold, after Liu Guoliang in 1996 and Kong Linghui in 2000.

China's Wang Liqin (L), Ma Lin (C) and Wang Hao (R) stand at attention for the Chinese national anthem3 during the victory ceremony after the men's singles table tennis final match at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games on August 23, 2008. China's Ma Lin won table tennis gold in the men's singles, defeating teammate Wang Hao in the final, with teammate Wang Liqin taking bronze.

However, in diving, Matthew Mitcham foiled the host's dream of a gold sweep. The Australian put up a spectacular performance in the men's 10m platform final.

Defending champions United States won their fourth consecutive⁴ Olympic women's basketball gold medal, beating Australia 92-65.

Brazil beat the United States 3-1 to win the women's volleyball gold. China beat Cuba 3-1 for the bronze.

Ma Lin of China jubilates after defeating Wang Hao of China during the gold medal match in their men's table tennis singles final match at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games on August 23, 2008.

Argentina retained its Olympic soccer title by beating Nigeria 1-0, held Saturday at the Bird's Nest, with a stunning⁵ Angel Di Maria goal.

In track and field, Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele sprinted⁶ to victory in the 5,000m to become the first man to complete the Olympic long-distance double since 1980.

Sanya Richards surged past her Russian rival in the final few meters to help the United States win the gold for the women's 4x400m relay. The US also won the gold in the men's 4x400m relay in the last athletic⁷ event on the Beijing Olympic track.

Cuba's Angel Valodia Matos and his coach were banned for life by the taekwondo governing body after kicking the referee⁸ in the head during an injury time-out.

In boxing, Thailand's Somjit Jongjohor won the gold in the flyweight class by outpointing Cuba's Andry Laffita in the first final of the Olympics boxing competition.