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China's Zhang Nan warned that Olympic gold is now in their sights after helping her team lift their first world women's team title at the world gymnastics championships here on Wednesday night.
A day after their men's team came from behind to successfully defend their world crown, their women completed the double by surging past favourites, the United States, led by reigning all-around world champion Chellsie Memmel.
The United States took silver with Russia claiming bronze after the eight-team final.
Olympic champions Romania, who had been bidding to reclaim the title they won five times in a row from 1994 but lost to the US in 2003, finished fourth.
The victory marked the resurgence of the Chinese women's team who finished just seventh at the Athens Olympics after taking bronze four years earlier in Syndey.
And Zhang, the first Chinese female gymnast to win all-around medals, when she took bronze at the 2003 worlds and the 2004 Olympics, said that Beijing 2008 was now in their sights.
"This victory is behind us. From now on we have to start from zero," said the 20-year-old from Jianggsu.
"The next time at the Olympic Games we will have to battle again with these competitors."
Team debutant He Ning, 16, said: "I'm very satisfied with the performance. The Chinese team have shown that we are now number one."
The Chinese success was a team one with five of their athletes - Zhang, Cheng Fei, He, Pang Panpan and Zhou Zhuoru all performing.
Li Ya lined out with the team but did not compete.
By contrast, the Americans, who won the title for the first time at home in Anaheim in 2003, competed with just four gymnasts - Memmel, Jana Bieger, Alicia Sacramone and Anastasia Liukin - with Liukin being limited to the uneven bars because of an ankle sprain.
Both Memmel and Bieger completed all four rotations and made costly errors.
Bieger, 17, opened their defence by landing on her bottom during the vault.
Sacramone pulled them back by scoring highest on the apparatus (15.575) ahead of world vault champion Cheng (15.275).
China were in third after the vault behind Romania and the US with Cheng, Zhou and Zhang stepping forward on their landings.
But they began to make up ground when world silver medallist on uneven bars Memmel fell on her face and Bieger also made errors during that rotation.
Defending uneven bars champion Liukin pulled the US into the lead after that apparatus with less than a point separating the Americans, Chinese and seven-time champions Romania.
The Chinese took the lead after their third rotation, the beam, when Zhang and Pang went 1-2 to carry a slim 0.850 advantage into the final round on floor.
There their only error was a minor one by Zhang on a dance element.
Taking to the floor last the Americans could not afford to slip-up only for Bieger to step out of limits.
Memmel performed strongly but could not make up lost ground finishing behind Cheng who took top marks (15.650).
China, whose previous world best was silver in 1981, scored 182.200 points with the United States finishing on 181.350 and Russia on 177.325.
Cheng, 18, admitted that the fact they had not been favourites had helped.
"Before the championship there was a gap between us (and the US)," said Cheng.
"This was a good thing as it allowed us to practice without any pressure.
"With little pressure we were able to give a good performance and pull out all our best techniques.
"Team spirit is an important factor here.
"I'm satisfied with the Chinese team performance but especially the way we fought to the end."
Liukin said: "We did make mistakes here and there, but that's gymnastics. I think we did really well as a team, we stuck together and didn't give up. I think we should be really happy."
Meanwhile, 18-year-old Memmel, who had been uncertain to compete this week after suffering an ankle injury days ago, looks set for a battle for her all-around title.
She scored the second highest individual marks of 60.100 for gymnasts who competed on all four apparatus behind Romania's Sandra Raluca Izbasa (60.325) with Bieger (59.375).
"I guess I was just a little bit off today," admitted Memmel.
"On the beam I had a few wobbles and I was disappointed with the bars but I came back strong on the floor and I was really happy with that."
The competition continues Thursday with the all-around finals with Japan's Hiroyuki Tomita defending his men's title.
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AFP 182153 GMT 10 06
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