BEIJING: Swimming superstar Michael Phelps launched his quest for Olympic Games immortality yesterday by smashing his own world record in winning the first of a potential eight gold medals. Phelps sparked an American charge which saw them win five medals in the pool for a Games total of eight including two gold.

But China were steadily building a lead at the head of the medal table winning four further events to have six gold ahead of South Korea’s three as the weather broke in Beijing and torrential rain disrupted tennis and archery.

In the women’s cycling road race, riders complained that they felt they were “drowning” as they hurtled through the treacherous conditions.

But at the pool, where the first four finals produced two world records, 23-year-old Phelps took center stage as he opened his bid to break Mark Spitz’s 36-year record of seven golds at one Games by winning the men’s 400m individual medley. With US President George W. Bush applauding in the stands, Phelps carved 1.41 seconds off his world record 4:05.25 set last June, but admitted afterwards he didn’t have high expectations before the race.

By the end of the second full day of competition, the United States also struck a psychological blow against the hosts when their collection of multi-millionaire NBA stars outclassed China 101-70 in men’s basketball.

But the Olympics, with its theme of “One World, One Dream,” continued to be dogged by political reality.

A series of bomb blasts, followed by gunfire, rocked a town in China’s mainly Muslim northwestern region of Xinjiang, state media reported, adding eight people were killed with four injured.

The bloody turmoil unfolding in the troubled, breakaway region of South Ossetia, meanwhile, came perilously close to sparking a walkout from the Games by Georgia’s 35-strong squad in protest at Russia’s role in the fighting. Crisis was only averted when Georgia President Mikheil Saakashvili told the squad to stay and take out their anger and frustration in the sporting arena.

Hours later, Russian and Georgian shooters embraced when Natalie Paderina, ironically a soldier in the Russian army, won silver in the women’s 10m air pistol final and Nino Salukvadze of Georgia took bronze behind champion Wenjun Guo of China. “I was very nervous today as it’s been very difficult for my people,” Salukvadze said. “It was nice of Natalia to come up to me afterwards and give me an embrace.”

After Phelps won his first gold, Park Tae-hwan won South Korea’s first ever Olympic swimming gold in the men’s 400m freestyle, Australia’s Stephanie Rice set a world record in taking the women’s 400m individual medley while the Netherlands were upset winners in the women’s 4x100 freestyle relay. The US relay team, anchored by 41-year-old Dara Torres at her fifth Olympics, finished second for her 10th career Olympic medal. The US men’s 4x100 relay team set a third pool world record winning their heat in the evening session where Phelps was again back in action cruising to second in his heat of the 200 meters freestyle. Phelps sat out the relay heat to conserve energy but will be in the final.

As the deluge swamped the road cyclists and the temperature plunged, several riders fell on the rain-lashed course before Welshwoman Nicole Cooke prevailed in a sprint finish for Britain’s first gold. The silver medal went to Sweden’s Emma Johansson who was surprised by the severity of the rain and cold.

“Sometimes I felt like I was drowning more or less. Coming down the climb the first time I was just freezing and I couldn’t stop shaking.”

Top women’s tennis seed Ana Ivanovic became the latest big name player to pull out of the Olympics, complaining of a sore thumb, as rain reduced the opening day on the courts to a handful of completed matches.