China's Liu Xiang leaves the track after being injured in a men's 110-meter hurdles first-round heat. Liu dropped out of the race today in Beijing.

Beijing ? Michael Phelps got what he came for, capping the greatest Olympics for an individual athlete by winning his eighth gold medal in Beijing and 14th of his career.

Things didn’t work out anywhere near as well for China’s Liu Xiang.

Liu, the reigning Olympic 110-meter hurdles champion, is as popular in China as Yao Ming. But he has been battling a hamstring problem, and he limped into the starting block for his first heat this morning. He burst out at the gun, then pulled up lame.

There actually was a false start on someone else that called everybody back, but Liu just peeled the number of his leg and walked off, disappointing tens of thousands in the stadium and hundreds of millions more throughout the country.

Headliners Rafael Nadal and the Williams sisters went home with gold, and China added more to its count. The hosts were up to 35, breaking its national record set four years ago in Athens. The United States led the overall medal count 65-61 over China. Americans have 19 golds.

Also at the track today, headliners like Jamaica’s Usain Bolt and the American 400 duo of Jeremy Wariner and LaShawn Merritt easily advanced in their heats.

Capping the morning activity, Australia’s Emma Snowsill won the women’s triathlon, and the U.S. men’s beach volleyball duo of Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser advanced to the semifinals.

Track and field

Shelly-Ann Fraser broke away from the pack early and cruised to victory in the women’s 100 meters.

In the women’s 400, three-time U.S. national champion Sanya Richards won her semifinal in 49.90 seconds to move into Tuesday’s finals where she’ll go for an individual gold. Americans Mary Wineberg and Dee Dee Trotter failed to advance.

Shooting

After blowing gold by shooting at the wrong target four years ago, American Matt Emmons was back in the lead on the last shot of the same event. He was determined not to make the same mistake again. He didn’t – he made a different one.

Emmons’ gun fired before he was ready. Instead of the measly 6.7 he needed, he got an atrocious 4.4, dropping him to the cruelest spot of all, fourth. At least last time he got silver.

Tennis

Rafael Nadal overcame two set points in the second set and held every service game to beat Chile’s Fernando Gonzalez, 6-3, 7-6 (2), 6-3 for gold.

The Williams sisters won the women’s doubles title by romping past a Spain’s Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual, 6-2, 6-0.

In women’s singles, Russia became the first nation to sweep a tennis event since Great Britain in 1908 women’s singles. (Note that tennis was not a medal sport between 1924 and 1988.) Elena Dementieva beat Dinara Safina, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3.

Fencing

Keeth Smart and the U.S. men’s saber team got to the gold-medal bout with a pair of 45-44 victories. But they couldn’t get past the French in the finals.

Gymnastics

Shawn Johnson keeps making memories in Beijing. Bad ones, even if she doesn’t act like it.

Two days after losing the all-around to teammate Nastia Liukin, Romania’s Sandra Izbasa – the last competitor – grabbed the floor exercise gold that was almost in the American’s hands. Liukin got bronze in the event. Johnson barely flinched when Izbasa’s mark came up, and the 16-year-old American also had a hug for the winner.

China’s Cheng Fei lost for the first time in three years in women’s vault. North Korea’s Hong Un Jong won it. American Alicia Sacramone was fourth.

China dominated the men’s event finals.

Women’s basketball

Tina Thompson scored 10 points during a 21-0 run, sending the U.S. women past New Zealand 96-60. The Americans went 5-0 in pool play, winning by an average of 43 points.

Softball

The U.S. women won their 20th straight Olympic game with as little drama as they usually provide in an 8-0 victory over the Netherlands.

Beach volleyball

There won’t be an all-American women’s finals.

Elaine Youngs and Nicole Branagh were ousted with a loss to a Chinese team. Earlier Sunday, Americans Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor advanced to the final four.

Rowing

The U.S. women’s eight took gold and the U.S. men’s eight took bronze.