g3 － day 4.

A disappointing day for Team USA's women's gymnastics team . . . but is silver sooo saddening? Sure, the gold-getting Chinese "women" are an average age of 12 and an average weight of 50 pounds, but they really did rock the competition. Stuff happens, right?

Not as if you could miss the perpetual slow-mo slideshow of U.S. team captain Alicia Sacramone falling off of the balance beam or falling onto her back during the floor exercise, but just in case you haven't gotten the whole story, here it is: The Chinese women's gymnastics team overtook the favored American team － due to a series of heartbreaking errors － to win the host country's first-ever gold in this event. Romania, which won the gold four years ago in Athens, claimed the bronze.

Twenty-year-old Sacramone, a veteran who has stayed with the sport this long especially to go for the gold in Beijing, missed her mount onto the balance beam, then went splat on her second tumbling pass in the floor exercise; additionally, she and teammates Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin all stepped out of bounds on the floor, securing themselves a second-place spot.

Controversy has surrounded the munchkin-like Chinese team, who have been accused of having half a team under the age requirement of turning 16 this year. But the international gymnastics federation has declared all members eligible, and honestly, they simply soared through their performances, beaming (pardon the pun), and just so all-around amazing and darling . . . they earned it.

Still, silver's nothing to sneeze at － king-size kudos to America's pride: Sacramone (Winchester, MA), Johnson (West Des Moines, IA), Liukin (Parker, TX), Chellsie Memmel (West Allis, WI), Samantha Peszek (McCordsville, IN) and Bridget Sloan (Pittsboro, IN).

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Another solid silver went to American Gina Miles of Davis, CA, who － with her horse, McKinlaigh [both pictured above] － rode to second-place success in the equestrian individual jumping final.

German Hinrich Romeike, riding Marius, won the gold and Kristina Cook of Britain, riding Miners Frolic, got the bronze in this rare co-ed sport. Team USA's Miles moved up from fifth place after jumping two round with no penalties.

Factoid: The Olympic equestrian events are being held in Hong Kong rather than Beijing, due to quarantine restrictions in mainland China.