The podium training before men's gymnastics team competition at the Athens Olympics Wednesday showed that clear favorite China is not superior than its arch rivals, the United States and Japan.

Gao Jian, the Chinese gymnastics team manager, said after the training that the U.S. and the Japanese squads looked stronger than general expectations.

"We must play all-out in the real competition, and if we look down upon them, we will be the losers," Gao noted.

"Who will be the winners fully depends on who can be in their best forms in the competition," he added.

Miao Zhongyi, a Chinese referee who will officiate the Athens Olympic gymnastics competition, told Xinhua that the performance of the U.S. team led by Paul Hamm, the individual all-around champion at last year's world championships, is at least as good as that in the worlds.

"The U.S. team, who collected five golds at the world championships, has real power. We cannot say that they relied on the hosts' advantage to win that glory," he added.

"Through the podium training, it is clear that the used-to-be powerhouse Russia is not that strong," he said.

The Olympic gymnastics competition will start on Saturday, one day after the opening ceremony, and its first gold medal will be competed in the coveted eye-catching men's team competition next Monday.

The top three at last year's worlds, China, the United States and Japan, will fight each other again to defend or change the sequence.

Source: Xinhua