Romanians, Chinese Win

The Romanian women and the Chinese men won their third consecutive titles in the World Gymnastics Championships in Lausanne, Switzerland.

There were some shakeups in the lower rankings, none more dramatic than Russia’s recovery from a fall-plagued high-bar routine to finish third, and none more hard-earned than the U.S. men’s fifth-place finish.

A new U.S. women’s team, with just one returning Olympian from the 1996 gold-medal team, came in a distant sixth.

With many members still uncommitted and little separating the five candidates, one or two votes could make the difference today in Lausanne, Switzerland, when the International Olympic Committee selects the host city of the 2004 Summer Games.