Liukin all-around best

U.S. gymnast edges teammate for gold medal

BEIJING -- Under other circumstances, Nastia Liukin would have been the star of the Olympics for the U.S. delegation Friday, except for the brilliance of Michael Phelps.

After all, Liukin was crowned the all-around champion of women's gymnastics, with a good backstory about overcoming the exact obstacle that stopped her father 20 years ago.

Liukin's victory likely will inspire a generation of youngsters just like Mary Lou Retton did with her all-around win in 1984 and Carly Patterson did four years ago.

The difference this time is that Americans finished 1-2, with reigning world champion Shawn Johnson getting silver. And that's where Liukin's saga gets so interesting.

At the 1988 Seoul Olympics, Valeri Liukin got silver in the men's all-around, losing to one of his Russian teammates. He won two individual golds, but never forgot that loss. History seemed to be repeating as the toughest foe in the world for his only child was her teammate.

In addition to the world championship, Johnson beat Liukin at the national championships and at the Olympic trials only a few weeks ago. But not when it counted most.

"There is nothing bigger or greater than this," Liukin said.

SOFTBALL: Turns out, the U.S. women are as dominant as ever.

First they set an Olympic record with four homers in a 7-0 victory over Japan. Then they resumed a rain-stopped game against Canada, trailing 1-0. After being five outs from losing, they wound up winning by the lopsided score of 8-1.

The Americans broke the game open with four runs in the sixth, helped by two errors by Canadian shortstop Jennifer Salling, and a wild pitch and hit batter by Dione Meier of Canada, which beat China 1-0 earlier in the day.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: The U.S. women started slowly, then got clicking, pounding Spain 93-55. Tina Thompson scored nine of her 17 points during a game-breaking 20-5 run in the third quarter, and Lisa Leslie added 14 points and 11 rebounds.

With the win, the U.S. has 29 straight victories in Olympic contests. The last loss was to the Unified team in the 1992 semifinals.

BASEBALL: The U.S. baseball team is in trouble. It fell to 1-2, lost a key player to an injury and has angered the mighty Cubans by accusing them of dirty play after losing to them 5-4 in 11 innings.

In their first game under a wacky extra-inning format -- from the 11th on, teams automatically get runners on first and second and can start anywhere in the batting order -- the Americans gave up two runs in the top of the inning, then fell one shy in the bottom. The last at-bat started with Jayson Nix squaring to bunt and fouling the pitch off his left eye.

Nix later underwent microsurgery to close about a two-inch wound above his eye and will not play again in China.

WOMEN'S SOCCER: Natasha Kai scored on a header in extra time, sending the defending champion Americans into the semifinals with a 2-1 victory over Canada.