Artistic Gymnastics Day 3 Preview: Powerhouses contend for Men's Team gold

(BEIJING, August 11) -- The Men's Team final will take place on August 12, the third day of the Artistic Gymnastics competition, where eight teams will wage their campaign for gold.

After a disappointing Athens 2004 finish, the Chinese men's team made a brilliant comeback by dominating the qualification stage in this Olympic competition and is widely-regarded as the most powerful gold contender.

Defending champion Japan delivered a stable performance at the qualification stage, and they are not going to be satisfied with a silver medal.

Athens 2004 runner-up the United States finished sixth in the qualifications. With Morgan Hamm and Paul Hamm both pulling out of Beijing 2008 due to injury, the United States is much less likely to win gold but still stands as a medal contender.

Romania, the bronze medallist at Athens 2004, had a less than stellar qualification performance, scoring the lowest points (359.350) among the eight qualifiers. Suspense remains in whether the Romanians will be able to fight back with a more impressive performance in the Men's Team final.