Olympic and world champion swimmer Yana Klochkova of Ukraine won her fourth gold medal, and China captured 13 finals Saturday to ensure its top spot in the standings at the World University Games.
The United States, without any representatives in men's basketball or track and field, will finish with its fewest medals at a University Games since 1989, when it had 26 from four sports.
The United States had five gold, 13 silver and 16 bronze medals from nine sports and the prospect of only one more in Sunday's volleyball bronze-medal game with France on the last day of competition.
"We're not as involved in counting medals," this time, US team chief Gary Cunningham said. "Medals aren't the only thing we're here for."
The US had topped the gold-medal count at five consecutive University Games before placing second to China at Beijing in 2001.
Klochkova added the 200-meter butterfly Saturday to earlier wins in the 200 freestyle and both individual medleys. She holds the world record in the 400 IM and won both medleys at the World Championships last month.
China won the women's basketball and volleyball finals, collected more gold in track and field and artistic gymnastics and capped its domination in the diving when Wu Minxia -- one of six world champions on the team -- won her fourth final.
The Chinese had 41 gold medals, 27 silver and 13 bronze after Day 10. China won't figure in either the men's basketball or volleyball finals Sunday, the only gold medals at stake that day.
Russia was second in the medal standings at 26-20-34 and South Korea was next with 25-11-15. Russia faces defending champion Serbia-Montenegro for the basketball title and South Korea plays Japan in the volleyball final.
(China Daily August 31, 2003)
