Olympic Current Happenings
Olympic torch starts final-hours run in Beijing
BEIJING: The Olympic torch started its final-hours relay on Friday morning at Zhoukoudian, an Unesco heritage site in southwestern Beijing suburb which has yielded many archaeological discoveries.
Amid loud music and cheers, the first torchbearer Feng Gong, one of the best Chinese comedian, carried the torch and start running at around 7:08 am.
Today is the final day of a three-day relay in Beijing, about 12 hours before the Beijing Games opens. A total of 140 torchbearers would run on a 7.9 km route. 
The relay will end at about 12:15 pm at the No.101 Middle School of Beijing, also home to the Olympic Youth Camp.
Zhoukoudian is the site where the archaeological treasure Peking Man, one of the first specimens of Homo erectus, was discovered between 1923-27.
Phelps joins elite Olympians with nine gold:
Michael Phelps became only the fourth man to win a record nine Olympic golds when he powered to victory in the 200 meters freestyle swimming on Tuesday. Phelps put on an imperious display to capture his third medal of the Beijing Games, leading from the start to win in a new world record time of 1.42.96, knocking 0.90 seconds off his old record, a huge margin.
