China's gold medalists are raking it in - prize money from the state, contracts with advertisers... In a country where politics and business go hand in hand, athletes remain firmly linked to the workings of the state.
South Korea's double world champion Hwang Kyung-Seon beat Canada's Karine Sergerie to win the Olympic taekwondo women's -67kg gold medal. Croatian Sandra Saric and French Gwladys Epangue won the two bronze medals.
The French handball team reached the country's best result ever in an Olympic tournament: qualifying for the final. Les Bleus beat Croatia 25-23 in the semi-final and will play Iceland, who defeated Spain, for the gold medal.
Felix Diaz from the Dominican Republic beat French Alexis Vastine 12-10 in the men's light welterweight semi-final. Diaz will meet Thaï Manus Boonjumnong who defeated Rosniel Iglesias from Cuba 10-5 in the other semi-final.
Marco Polo is back in China. The Venician explorer is the subject of French choreographer Marie-Claude Pietragalla's last ballet currently performed in Beijing. The ballet will arrive in France in March 2009.
Italian walker Alex Schwazer won the men's 50 kilometres walk, setting a new Olympic record. Jared Tallent of Australia and Russia's Denis Nizhegorodov got silver and bronze respectively.
Anne-Caroline Chausson of France won the gold medal in women's BMX cycling in Beijing on Friday. She is followed by teammate Laetitia Le Corguillé, who won silver.
All three medals of the Olympic men's 400m sprint were given to US athletes, with a surprising gold for LaShawn Merritt, followed by top favorite Jeremy Wariner - a success that counterbalances the US relay team disappointments.
