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US sweep gymnastics all-around finals

Canada's Christine Girard reacts after failing to lift 224kg in the women's 63kg weightlifting competition at the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro on Monday. Girard went on to win the silver. PHOTO: AP

Fifteen-year-old Shawn Johnson added the senior title to her junior championship when she won the women's all-around gymnastics finals at the Pan American Games on Monday.

Johnson has won every major competition she's been at in the past year, capturing the Junior Pan Am Games and the US junior title, as well as the American Cup, her first meet as a senior.

"I did my best and I'm sure that I represented my country well," Johnson said.

She scored 61.725 points, ahead of countrywomen Rebecca Bross (61.050) and Ivana Hong (59.375). Johnson had the highest scores on the uneven bars and the balance beam, and tied with Bross atop the standings in the floor exercise.

"Our team was the best of this competition," Bross said. "The three first places were deserved."

Brazilian fan favorite Jade Barbosa, who missed a medal by 0.5, had the best score on vault. Brazil could not count on two of its top gymnasts. Lais Souza was rested for the individual event finals yesterday, and star Daiane dos Santos, the gold medalist on floor at the 2003 world championships, couldn't compete because of an ankle injury.

The result increased the US' lead atop the medal count to 14 gold, 11 silver and five bronze. Cuba trails with five gold medals, and Canada, Mexico and Colombia have four each.

The US' first gold of the day came from Jason Turner in the men's 50m pistol shooting and earned a spot for the US in next year's Beijing Olympics.

Canada's Avianna Chao won the women's 10m air pistol, and Argentina's Juan Carlos Dasque the men's trap to also secure quota spots for Beijing.

Beach volleyball, a traditional sport in Rio, also debuted on Monday. In a preliminary match, Brazil's Juliana Silva and Larissa Franca easily beat the US' Angela Akers and Brooke Niles 21-10, 21-16 in an arena built on Copacabana beach, with the Sugar Loaf mountain and the Christ the Redeemer statue -- newly crowned a world wonder -- in the background.

The Brazilians have some of the world's best-ranked duos and are likely to dominate the competition.

In the first day of swimming, Brazil's Flavia Delaroli secured a spot in the 2008 Olympics with a time of 25.43 seconds in the 50m event.

Chile earned its first gold with Enzo Cesario in the men's individual pursuit in cycling, and Cuba added two golds in taekwondo and one in weightlifting.

Colombia won two golds in weightlifting to increase its medal count to four. Jose Oliver Ruiz won the 85kg men's class and Yessenia Solis the 63kg women's class and set a Pan Am record with a 224kg total.

In women's soccer, Paraguay and Panama drew 1-1, Jamaica tied Uruguay by the same score, Argentina defeated Mexico 1-0 and Canada routed Ecuador 4-0 behind three goals by striker Kara Lang.

In women's volleyball, Brazil got past Mexico, and Puerto Rico routed Costa Rica, both in three sets.

Defending champion Brazil thrashed Canada 31-12 in men's handball.

In baseball, Mexico beat Panama 9-0, Cuba defeated Venezuela 4-3, the Dominican Republic walloped Brazil 14-2 and the US got past Nicaragua 8-4.

Also, Brazil's largest TV station, Globo, said it talked to 19-year-old Rafael Dacosta, the Cuban handball player who allegedly abandoned the Pan Ams and deserted from Cuba. He said he decided to stay in Brazil to take advantage of better professional opportunities.

Earlier, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said he was disheartened by the jeers he received at the games' opening ceremonies on Friday.

"I'm particularly sad because I went there prepared for a party," Silva said in his Coffee with the President radio show. "It's like I was invited for a friend's birthday and a group of people at the party didn't want me there."

Silva was jeered every time his name was mentioned, and did not give the scheduled speech to officially open the games. He was hastily replaced by Brazilian Olympic Committee president Carlos Arthur Nuzman.

"There were some operational problems," Sports Minister Orlando Silva said.

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