Wei gets rockstar reception

It a was dominant display from Yang, 28, a silver medallist in the event at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 but came seventh at the Athens Games, a disappointment which left him considering retirement. Yang was part of the Chinese men8217;s team that won here on Tuesday and also has a team gold from the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

He suffered an early setback when he stepped out of bounds on the exercise floor but maintained his composure even though he was in eighth place after the second of six rounds. Yang closed the gap on his rivals after scoring 16.625 on the rings and was in second place behind Korea8217;s Tae-young Yang at the halfway mark. He then surged to the lead with a blistering 16.55 on the vault as the crowd urged him on chanting 8220;Yang Wei, jia you let8217;s go8221;.

Yang needed 12.175 on the high bar to secure gold and took no risks, scoring a solid but unspectacular 14.775 to claim the title.