Japan's Kohei Uchimura performs on the pommel horse during the artistic gymnastics men's team final at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Aug 8. (AP) RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug 9, (AFP): Kohei Uchimura completed his collection of gymnastics titles on Monday by leading Japan to men's Olympics team gold, with Russia returning to the podium for the first time since 2000 to take silver. But two-time reigning champions China were restricted to bronze in a thrilling final which went down to the wire at the Rio Olympic Arena.

The 27-year-old Uchimura had already won all-around gold in London 2012 and 10 world medals including six consecutive individual titles. But despite his individual accolades the gymnast known as 'King Kohei' had taken just two silver in the Olympic team event behind China in 2008 and 2012. 'We put in a lot of effort to come this far. This was the event in which I wanted to win gold,' Uchimura said of his sixth Games medal, with the possibility of two more in the all-around and on floor to come.

China were devastated by the loss of a title which represents everything to the country, after losing their world crown last year to Japan. Team leader Zhang Chenglong, the only member of the 2012 gold-medal winning team, paid tribute to their rivals. 'We have to be happy for Japan because every athlete wants to be the best,' said 27-year-old Zhang. Victory put Japan back on top of the podium for the first time since 2004 with a seventh gold in an event the country dominated through five Olympic Games in the 1960s and 1970s. But they had to battle a determinated Russia, who they competed alongside and had led for the first four rotations, with Denis Abliazin outscoring Olympic champion Arthur Zanetti of Brazil on the rings. The five-man Japanese team, which also included Koji Yamamuro, Ryohei Kato, Yusuke Tanaka and Kenzo Shirai, pulled ahead on horizontal bar to lead by just 0.208 going into their final floor rotation. World floor champion Shirai set Japan on their way with a soaring 16.133.

Competing last Uchimura scored 15.600 to seal the title. Meanwhile, Olympic legend Michael Phelps backed young team-mate Lilly King in speaking out against dope cheats after she vanquished drug-tainted Russian Yulia Efimova for Olympic 100m breaststroke gold on Monday. 'I think you're going to see a lot of people speaking up more,' said 19-time Olympic gold medallist Phelps. 'I think she's right, something needs to be done.' King, a 19-year-old first-time Olympian, had made it clear she didn't think Efimova belonged in the pool after serving a 16-month ban in the wake of a 2013 positive test and a positive test this year for meldonium. Plenty agreed as the 24-year-old world champion from Russia was showered with boos as she took to the blocks. King led at the turn and repelled a late Efimova charge to win in an Olympic record of 1min 04.93sec, with the Russian second in 1:05.50.

American Katie Miele was third in 1:05.69. It was in contrast to the celebrations ofChina's Sun Yang, another swimmer targeted by his peers for past drugs transgressions. Sun shook off controversy to win the 200m freestyle gold, cheered on by Chinese team-mates and supporters in the stands, one group of them seated behind a section of Aussies whose 400m free gold medallist Mack Horton this week branded Sun a drugs cheat a reference to his three-month suspension in 2014 for a positive test for a banned stimulant. Third at the 150-meter mark, Sun stormed past early leader Chad le Clos of South Africa to win in 1:44.65.

Le Clos settled for silver in 1:45.20 with American Conor Dwyer third. Hungary's Katinka Hosszu claimed her second gold in as many events with a storming victory in the 100m backstroke. The 'Iron Lady' was sixth at the turn with world champion Emily Seebohm leading but stormed home to win in 58.45sec. American Kathleen Baker was second in 58.75, just one one-hundredth of a second in front of China's Fu Yuanhui and Canadian Kylie Masse, who shared bronze in 58.76.

Ryan Murphy gave the US a second gold on the night, extending America's run of dominance in the men's 100m backstroke, coming from fourth at the turn to win in an Olympic record of 51.97sec and become the sixth straight US Olympic champion. China's Xu Jiyau was second in 52.31 and American David Plummer captured bronze in 52.40. A female athlete from the favelas won Brazil's first gold medal of the Rio Games on Monday as Michael Phelps stepped his campaign for yet more Olympic honours. Rafaela Silva, who grew up in Rio's notorious City of God slum, upset world number one Sumiya Dorjsuren to win the women's under-57kg judo, sparking pandemonium among fans. Silva sank to her knees in delight after a win that jump-starts Brazil's Olympic campaign and secures only their second medal after Felipe Wu's shooting silver.

Chen Aisen and Lin Yue won the men's 10m platform diving, putting China top of the medals table with four golds midway through day three. Russia took gold and silver in the women's sabre fencing as Yana Egorian beat Sofiya Velikaya, who again suffered heartbreak after also losing the 2012 Olympic final. And Thailand also enjoyed a one-two in the women's 58kg weightlifting as Sukanya Srisurat beat Pimsiri Sirikaew by 8kg.

France's riders delivered their country's first gold of the Rio Olympics on Tuesday with team eventing success at the Deodoro equestrian centre. The French secured their second title in the three-discipline event after Athens in 2004 with a score of 169 points. London 2012 champions Germany took silver with 172.80 points while Australia, who had topped the standings after Monday's cross country, came in third on 175.30.

The victorious French were all Olympic debutants, with flawless rounds in the jumping arena from Astier Nicolas and Thibaut Vallette catapulting them to the title. Meanwhile, an Iraqi soldier who was the sole representative for his war-ravaged country at the Rio Olympic boxing was left disappointed but proud after falling at the first hurdle on Tuesday. Waheed Abdulridha, who was Iraq's flag-bearer at Friday's opening ceremony, started strongly but faded and eventually lost to Mexico's Uziel Rodriguez onunanimous points in their middleweight clash. The 33-year-old put his hands on his head and paced the ring in disbelief and said afterwards that he felt he had done enough to win.