BEIJING --- Welcome to the rest of the Beijing Olympics -- the Summer Games of 2008, A.P.

After Phelps.

The games continued Monday in search of a new headliner now that Michael Phelps has toweled off for the last time. The Bird's Nest seemed the likeliest place for someone to emerge, and, indeed, the big news of the day came from the track.

However, it wasn't good news. It was the sad sight of Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang limping to the starting blocks, trying to race through injuries and quickly finding out he couldn't.

Liu is China's first male gold medalist in track, having won the 110 meters in Athens. That accomplishment made him a hero in his homeland, and he was expected to repeat on home soil.

Meanwhile, Usain Bolt, of Jamaica, continued his bid to become the first to sweep the 100- and 200-meter races since Carl Lewis in 1984.

Bolt was second in his opening heat of the 200 in the morning and then easily won his quarterfinal heat at night, jogging down the stretch and still topping reigning champ Shawn Crawford, of the United States, by several strides.

TRACK AND FIELD: The U.S. flag finally rose at the Bird's Nest, and it came from an unexpected source, as Stephanie Brown Trafton won the women's discus. It went up again later when Angelo Taylor won the 400-meter hurdles, with Americans Kerron Clement and Bershawn Jackson taking silver and bronze.

After the U.S. saw 1,500-meter runners Bernard Lagat, Lopez Lomong and Leo Manzano all fail to advance past the semifinals and seeing Terrence Trammell get hurt in the opening heat of the 110 hurdles, Brown Trafton's victory was a much-needed lift. The 400 sweep was awfully nice, too, something no country had done since the U.S. in 1960.

Russia's Yelena Isinbayeva won her second consecutive gold in women's pole vault, upping her own world record to 16 feet, 63/4 inches; Brimin Kipruto made it seven consecutive Olympics that Kenyans have won the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase; and 18-year-old Pamela Jelimo led a 1-2 Kenya finish in the women's 800.

BASEBALL: The U.S. team won 9-1 over China in a game that featured rough play, such as a home-plate collision that knocked out China's top player, a retaliatory hit batsman and three ejections.

U.S. second baseman Jayson Nix -- still recovering from a foul ball off his left eye that resulted in surgery, stitches, bruises and fuzzy vision -- said he hopes to return to Olympic play.

South Korea remained unbeaten with a 9-8 victory over Taiwan, and Japan beat Canada 1-0.

SOFTBALL: A nine-run first inning lifted the U.S. to a 9-0 win over China, extending the U.S. winning streak to 23 games and leaving the Americans two wins from another gold medal.

Up next is Japan, already a 7-0 loser to the U.S., although their ace was saved for the rematch.

Canada lost 6-0 to Japan but advanced to a semifinal game against Australia.

BEACH VOLLEYBALL: There won't be an all-American men's final.

Although top-ranked duo Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser rolled into the semifinals with a win over a German team, Jake Gibb and Sean Rosenthal lost to the defending Olympic champions from Brazil. Next up for Rogers and Dalhausser is surprising Georgia on Wednesday.

DIVING: China's He Chong led the way in qualifying in the men's 3-meter springboard.

Chris Colwill finished seventh and Troy Dumais 12th for the U.S., getting them into a semifinal this morning. The final is tonight.

WOMEN'S SOCCER: Get ready for a rematch. Just like in 2004, the final will pit the U.S. and Brazil.

The Americans advanced by beating Japan 4-2. Brazil got there with a 4-1 victory over Germany.

CYCLING: American Sarah Hammer appears headed toward a layoff after breaking her left collarbone in a fall during the women's points race. Jennie Reed also lost in the sprint quarterfinals.

Britain continued to dominate, knocking nearly 2 seconds off the world record it set a day earlier to win the men's team pursuit.

BOXING: Mauritius is a tiny island nation 560 miles off the eastern coast of Madagascar. That's worth knowing, because it has produced a bantamweight medalist, although Bruno Julie isn't done fighting.

Julie beat Venezuela's Hector Manzanilla in the quarterfinals, securing no worse than bronze. Ukrainian featherweight Vasyl Lomachenko also clinched a medal with his third virtuoso performance of the Olympics, pounding China's Li Yang.

Super heavyweight Zhang Zhilei knocked down Kazakhstan's Ruslan Myrsatayev twice in a 12-2 win that assured China of at least two boxing medals after winning just one in its previous history.

Moldova bantamweight Veaceslav Gojan clinched his nation's second boxing medal, upsetting India's Akhil Kumar.

Cuba secured its fourth medal with bantamweight Yankiel Leon's win over Worapoj Petchkoom, of Thailand.

WEIGHTLIFTING: Word to the wise: Don't mess with Andrei Aramnau, of Belarus.

The heavyweight broke three world records to win his country's first Olympic gold in weightlifting. He set records in the snatch, becoming the first man in the weight class to lift 440.9 pounds; the clean and jerk (520.3 pounds) and with his total (961.2 pounds).

MEN'S VOLLEYBALL: The U.S. squad wrapped up pool play a perfect 5-0, beating winless Japan in three sets.

WOMEN'S TRIATHLON: Australia took first and third, with Emma Snowsill pulling away early in the 10-kilometer run to finish more than a minute ahead. American Laura Bennett was fourth.

Men's water polo: The U.S. beat Germany and won its preliminary group, earning an automatic berth in the semifinals.

WOMEN'S FIELD HOCKEY: No goals and no more Olympics for the U.S., which was eliminated after a 0-0 draw with Britain. The U.S. went 1-1-3, remaining without a medal since 1984.

CANOE-KAYAK: Rami Zur, the only American to compete in the men's 1,000-meter kayak single, advanced to the semis. He's much better in the 500-meter race, where he'll also compete today.

EQUESTRIAN: The U.S. won team jumping, making it two Olympic titles in a row.