U.S. wunderkind Michael Phelps on Tuesday snatched a butterfly gold medal and led teammates to another in the Olympic swimming pool, which also witnessed a completion of gold double by swim beauty Yana Klochkova.
China managed two silvers but remains atop the gold tally with 10. The United States made it to six on Tuesday's three golds, leveling up with Australia and Japan.
Phelps had his winning feeling back after the failed attempt to tie Mark Spitz' 1972 record of seven golds in one games, claiming his second gold here in the 200m butterfly.
The 19-year-old held off Takashi Yamamoto to win in an Olympic-record of one minute and 54.01 seconds. The Japanese took the silver (1:54.56), while Britain's Stephen Parry got bronze (1:55.22).
One hour later Phelps spearheaded the U.S. quartet to a razor-thin victory over Australia in the men's 4x200m freestyle relay.
The Australians, anchored by Phelps' nemesis Ian Thorpe, finished second in 7:07.46, while Italy came third in 7:11:83.
Ukraine's swim queen Klochkova won the women's 200m individual medley on Tuesday, completing the medley double for the second time.
The 400m winner last Saturday triumphed in 2:11.14, beating second-placed American Amanda Beard by 0.56 seconds.
Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe took the bronze in 2:12.72 to add to the silver she won on Monday.
Klochkova, who swept the 200-400 medleys at the 2000 Olympics, was only the second swimmer to achieve the feat after Hungarian Tamas Daryni who doubled up twice in 1988 and 1992.
Camelia Potec of Romania made a late surge in the outside lane to win the women's 400m freesytle title in 1:58.03, beating 16-year-old Italian Federica Pellegrini and Solenne Figues of France.
Romania took its second gold in the last event of the day's 11 as a team that has an average age of just 17 emerged victorious inthe women's gymnastics team.
The Romanian teens were in a class of their own, collecting 114.283 points, 1.408 over the United States which picked the silver. The Russian team led by double Olympic champions Svetlana Khorkinaand Elena Zamolodchikova finished third in 113.235.
China's lead on the gold tally didn't budge on its first title-less day.
Chinese Tan Xue claimed a silver after losing the women's sabre final to American Mariel Zagunis 15-9, and her compatriot Wang Leiwon a medal of the same color after losing the men's epee final, 15-9 too, to Marcel Fischer from Switzerland.
The host country had something to celebrate for the second straight day.
Judoka Ilias Iliadis grabbed Greece's second gold, sending a packed Ano Liossia Olympic Stadium into frenzy.
Following an unexpected diving gold on Monday, European champion Iliadis overpowered Roman Gontyuk of Ukraine in the 81kg judo final.
Two titles in four days provided balm for wounded Greek pride as its national heroes Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou are struggling to clear their doping suspicions.
Japan was back on the top judo podium for the first time in twodays as three-time Ayumi Tanimoto won the women's 63kg final vs Austrian Claudia Heill.
Double trap shooter Ahmed al-Maktoum emerged as the United ArabEmirates' national hero after taking the Arab country's first everOlympic gold.
The former national squash champion garnered 189 hits for the gold, leveling the Olympic record set by Australian Mark Russell in 1996.
Russia's Mikhail Nestruev made up for his bitter 0.2 points loss to Chinese six-time Olympian Wang Yifu in the 10m air pistol with a 663.3 points victory in the men's 50m pistol.
In the men's basketball, the U.S. team of NBA players, humiliated by a 92-73 loss Sunday to Puerto Rico, was pushed to the edge before beating Greece 77-71.
Lithuania overcome Puerto Rico 83-59 while Australia beat winless Angola 83-59.
Spain beat Argentina 87-76 to lead the other group, in which China defeated New Zealand 69-62 and world champion Serbia and Montenegro downed Italy 74-72.
In a fresh doping development, world 100m sprint champion Torri Edwards from the United States will miss the Athens Olympics after her appeal against a two-year drugs ban was dismissed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
(Xinhua News Agency August 18, 2004)
