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Bad day for U.S.

BEIJING: China issued the challenge, and the short-handed U.S. women couldn’t answer on Sunday.

Now on to the showdown in the gymnastics team final at the Beijing Olympics, where every element truly counts.

Neither powerhouse was at its absolute best, and the Americans were severely handicapped after Samantha Peszek sprained her left ankle in warm-ups. On floor, vault and balance beam, the Americans could put up only four gymnasts — meaning they had no room for error.

Peszek and Chellsie Memmel did one event each — the uneven bars — and neither performed particularly well. Memmel even fell.

So despite the excellence of world champion Shawn Johnson, who drew the only chants of “U-S-A, U-S-A” with her balance beam routine, the United States trailed the host by 1.475 points.

Johnson and Nastia Liukin were 1-2 in the all-around halfway through the day’s qualifications, which should stand up.

Peszek’s injury — her status for Wednesday’s team final is uncertain — took a toll on the Americans.

It meant they were going 4-on-6 against the Chinese on Sunday.

With the slates wiped clean for team finals, the Americans aren’t in a mathematical hole.

China won the first subdivision, although most of the passion came from the audience. The Chinese women almost stoically went about their business: setting the bar high, then watching the world champion Americans fall short of it.

In sweeping all four apparatus, the Chinese posted 248.275 points, far ahead of Romania’s 238.425. — AP

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