SHANGHAI, July 16: Chinese gymnasts won eight gold medals, two silver and two bronze at the World Cup event in Shanghai over the weekend.

China, who have high hopes of a good medal count in gymnastics at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, took four of a possible five gold medals on Saturday, plus a silver and two bronzes.

In the men's events, the 2005 pommel horse world champion Xiao Qin took gold, beating team mate and 2004 Olympic gold medallist Teng Haibing.

China's Chen Yibing took gold in the rings. Only the men's floor exercise gold eluded China; it was won by Brazil's Diego Hypolito.

China's Xiao Tingting took her first gold medal in the women's asymmetric bars while Cheng Fei took gold in the women's vault.

On Sunday China won four golds and one silver medal.

Du Wei took gold in the men's vault while Feng Zhe won the men's parallel bars.

In the women's events, Pang Panpan took gold in the women's beam while Cheng Fei took the gold medal in women's floor.

This year's was the first of three consecutive World Cup events to be held in China up to 2008, when the Chinese capital will host the Olympic Games.

The event, which opened on Thursday, was free to spectators in order to encourage ordinary Chinese to attend.—Reuters