2008 Beijing Games Day 9

Serena Williams, left, and her sister, Venus, celebrate winning the gold medal in doubles at Beijing, after beating Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual of Spain. The sisters also won the gold in the event at the Sydney Games. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Sept. 16, 2014 10:02 AM PT

Shelly-Ann Fraser exults as she leads a Jamaican sweep of the women’s 100 meters. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser celebrates her win in the women’s 100 meters. Teammates Sherone Simpson and Kerron Stewart tied for second. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Shelly-Ann Fraser waves the Jamaican flag after her gold-medal win in the 100-meter dash. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

China’s Kai Zou tumbles across the mat en route to a gold medal in the men’s floor exercise final. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

U.S. gymnast Alexander Artemev falls from the pommel horse near the end of his routine. The error pushed him out of medal contention in the men’s pommel horse final at Beijing’s National Indoor Stadium. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Back on the pommel horse after slipping off, U.S. gymnast Alexander Artemev completes an otherwise strong routine to finish seventh at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Chinese gymnast Qin Xiao delivers a gold-medal performance in men’s pommel horse. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Qin Xiao salutes the flag military style after receiving his gold medal in men’s pommel horse at Beijing’s National Indoor Stadium. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Isreal’s Alexandr Shatilov struggled during his routine in the men’s floor exercise final, finishing eighth. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Romanian gymnast Sandra Izbasa nails a twisting flip during her gold-medal-winning routine in the final of women’s floor exercise at Beijing’s National Indoor Stadium. U.S. gymnasts Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin finished second and third, respectively. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

U.S. gymnasts Shawn Johnson, left, and Nastia Liukin, right, get a close look at a gold medal as they pose for pictures with Sandra Izbasa of Romania, top winner in women’s floor exercise. Johnson won silver; Liukin, bronze. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Shawn Johnson executes a tumbling run during her silver-medal performance in the women’s floor exercise final at Beijing’s National Indoor Stadium. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

U.S. gymnast Nastia Liukin performs a bronze-medal-winning routine in women’s floor exercise at Beijing’s National Indoor Stadium. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

American gymnast Nastia Liukin competes in the women’s floor exercise. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Korea’s Un Jong Hong receives a hug from a well-wisher after winning the gold medal in the women’s vault at Beijing’s National Indoor Stadium. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Chinese gymnast Fei Cheng fights to keep her form during a tumbling run in the women’s floor exercise final at Beijing’s National Indoor Stadium. Cheng suffered a few slips and finished in seventh place. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Fei Cheng misses a landing following a tumbling run in her floor routine. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

The day’s biggest achievement happened during the 4x100 medley relay, when the U.S. team’s victory gave Michael Phelps his eighth gold medal during the 2008 Games. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Brendan Hansen, left, Aaron Piersol and Michael Phelps watch Jason Lezak swim the last leg of the relay, just edging Australia. The team was in third when Phelps went into the water and in first when he emerged; Lezak held the team’s position to bring home the gold. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Michael Phelps embraces his mother, Debbie, and sisters after passing Mark Spitz’s gold-medal record. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

The men’s 4x100 medley relay gold medalist: Michael Phelps, Brendan Hansen, Jason Lezak and Aaron Piersol. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Michael Phelps and his U.S. teammates pose for pictures after winning the men’s 400-meter medley relay. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Dara Torres, at 41 the oldest member of the U.S. swim team, shows her disappointment in finishing second in the women’s 50-meter freestyle. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

U.S. swimmer Dara Torres shrugs to indiciate that she did all she could to win the gold medal in the women’s 50-meter freestyle. She lost by a whisker to Britta Steffen of Germany. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Dara Torres is greeted by her American teammates after swimming the final leg of the women’s 400-meter medley relay. The U.S. took the silver medal. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

The U.S.’ Kerri Walsh, left, celebrates a point against Brazil with Misty May-Treanor during a quarterfinal match in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Kerri Walsh of the U.S. blocks a shot by Brazil’s Ana Paula Connelly during a quarterfinal women’s beach volleyball match. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

The U.S.’ Misty May-Treanor returns a serve against Brazil during a quarterfinal match in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)