US gold medal winner Mariel Zagunis is flanked by teammates, silver medal winner Sada Jacobson (left) and bronze medal winner Becca Ward, on the podium after the women's individual sabre at the Fencing Hall.- AP

BEIJING (AP):

CHINESE ATHLETES won two gold medals yesterday on a first day of Olympic competition marred by the stabbing death of an American volleyball coach's relative and two doping controversies.

A knife-wielding Chinese man attacked two relatives of the coach at a tourist site in Beijing, killing one and seriously injuring the other, team officials said. The man then committed suicide by throwing himself from the second story of the site, the 13th century Drum Tower five kilometres from the main Olympic site.

"They are deeply saddened and shocked," US Olympic Committee spokesman Darryl Seibel said of the volleyball team.

China quickly got on the gold medal tally board when Chen Xiexia won the women's 48-kilogramme weightlifting and 2006 world champion Pang Wei took the men's 10-metre air pistol.

ideal conditions

"I had low expectations of myself, but my coach and teammates created ideal conditions for me to win," Pang said.

Katerina Emmons of the Czech Republic had the distinction of winning the first of 302 golds to be awarded before the Games end on August 24 when she took the 10-metre air rifle yesterday morning.

Also, Alina Dumitru of Romania won a gold medal in women's 48-kilogramme judo and Choi Min-ho of South Korea took the men's 60-kilogramme class in judo.

In fencing, Mariel Zagunis won the first gold medal for the United States, leading an American sweep in women's sabre.

There were also two positive doping tests involving Beijing-bound track athletes.

The Greek national Olympic committee said 29-year-old sprinter Tassos Gousis, who competes in the 200m, tested positive for the steroid methyltrienolone on Monday. He was sent home from a pre-Games training camp in Japan after being informed of the result.

Russian steeplechase runner Roman Usov was pulled out of the Games amid reports he failed a doping test conducted at the selection trials last month and only a week after seven female athletes from Russia were implicated in a doping scandal.

"The Russian track and field federation has made the decision that this athlete will not start in Beijing," Russian team spokesman Gennady Shvets told The Associated Press.

tested positive

The 30-year-old Usov placed second at the national trials in Kazan, Russia, last month and had been listed to compete in the 3,000-metre steeplechase. Russian media reported that Usov had tested positive for the banned substance Carphedon.

Defending champions the United States edged Japan 1-0 to revive their chances of a third Olympic gold medal in women's football and World Cup champions Germany beat Nigeria by the same score to move closer to a title it has never won.

Nilla Fischer's 57th-minute corner gave Sweden a 1-0 victory over Argentina in Tianjin.

In late games, Brazil beat North Korea 2-1, Norway topped New Zealand 1-0 and host China earned a 1-1 draw with Canada.

South Korea's Minho Choi reacts after getting his gold medal during the medal ceremony for the men's judo extra lightweight division. - AP