The score of 9.712 flashed up as she was borne away in pain - and victory.No one was operating under more pressure than the prodigious, diminutive 14-year-old Moceanu, whose participation in the Games had been in doubt because of a stress fracture to her leg. But with her, and her country's, last effort, she achieved all that was required, despite injuring her left foot as she landed. In an atmosphere that resembled one long penalty shoot-out, the nerves of the home team held under the huge pressure of expectation as they overhauled Russia, leaders after the first day's compulsories. However, it took a performance of enormous nerve and courage from 19- year-old Kerri Strug to revive a flagging cause with the final US effort of the day in the vault, where the gymnasts can have two attempts.After seeing her training partner, the much-feted Dominique Moceanu, land on her bottom in the first and then, calamitously, the second of her vaults, Strug seemed to have been unnerved In her first attempt, she too landed unceremoniously. The United States women, borne on a seething wave of patriotic fervour, won their first team gold in the history of the Games here last night. However, they will have to find a lot more pace in the middle 1,000 metres if they are to reach the final on Thursday.. But their lack of practice eventually proved too much in the second half of the race and they eventually finished in third place, eight second behind the Canadian and Australian teamsThe women's pair of Kate Mackenzie and Philippa Cross had to beat one crew to make the last 12 and they did it with something to spare. She was led briefly by the German Meike Evers, but when the 19-year-old junior world champion showed her inexperience at this level, Batten was decisive and came through to take third place.The men's double scull raced for the second time with Guy Pooley, the spare man, after Jim Cracknell was ruled out by the team doctor, Ann Redgrave, with a throat infection.This time Pooley was in the bow seat with Bobby Thatcher at stroke and for over 1,000 meteres it looked like they might still qualify for the semi-final.

"I saw his back lose its shape and turn into a C and with a fifteen-stroke burst I was ahead," Haining said.Haining finished four seconds behind the reigning world champion, Iztok Cop, from Slovenia.Guin Batten also grabbed her place in the single sculls semi-final with a solid show to take third place in the repechage. At 77kg he was able to vary his tactics feeling strong enough to leave his push to the finish of the race instead of "scuttling" off at the start and trying to hang on.Haining shadowed Australia's David Cameron, who at 22 is 12 years his junior, and waited for him to weaken About 500m from the finish Haining took his chance. Yesterday the last thing his coach, Miles Thomas, told him was: "It's a thinking man's race. Don't forget to think." He was telling his light sculler that the head wind, which was brisk but straight, would tempt some scullers to go out too fast before running out of puff in the closing stages. From the start Haining was determined to stay out of the lead and to use as little energy as possible to stay in touch with the second qualifying place. It was called by the line judge, but he immediately corrected himself which meant Henman had first serve again.And the Oxfordshire man, now at his best ever world ranking of No 37, took advantage to win the point and hold serve before taking the tie- break and 11 successive points at the start of the second set on his way to a 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 win in 1hr 22min."The first set was crucial and, while I'm not saying it was the turning point, it was certainly a big one," Henman said.. Peter Haining, the best lightweight single sculler the world has seen, took another step along the road to his target of a medal as a heavyweight in the 2000 Olympics, by qualifying for the semi-finals at Gainesville yesterday. Haining had been relegated to the repechage system in the heats, but had shown his mettle by chasing all the way even when his cause was lost.

She was later found to have broken her collarbone and two ribs and may not ride today in the showjumping.. Tim Henman lifted the hearts of Britain's Olympic troops as he reached the second round of the men's singles yesterday. Henman, Britain's first Wimbledon men's singles quarter- finalist since 1973, looked in real trouble during a tense and error-strewn first set against Japan's Shuzo Matsuoka at Stone Mountain. The 300-plus Union Jack-waving British fans, desperate for something to cheer after three days to forget, watched anxiously as the 21-year- old Henman baked in the searing 100F heat and struggled to get his game together.Drama became crisis when Henman's second serve on set point against him at 5-6 appeared to be out. Unlike their TGV equivalents, the trains cannot be split, and on the Brussels route staff have taken to closing up half the train on many services to save hassle. When did a political party last attract such numbers? Neither did she mention that 85 out of the FT-SE top 100 companies still recognise and negotiate with unions, that last year the TUC and member unions recovered pounds 350m for employees taken ill or hurt for work reasons,and that we handled two million job-related personal problems in 1995.Joe Hill, the American union folk hero, said, "Don't mourn, organise," and that's what we are doing in insecure, unequal Britain.JOHN MONKSGeneral SecretaryTrades Union CongressLondon WC1.