by sportswriter Gao Peng

    BEIJING, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- Michael Phelps has become the most successful athlete ever after collecting his 10th and 11th Olympic gold medal on Wednesday as world record-breaking performances were seen in swimming and weightlifing at the Beijing Games.

    With four golds still at stake in Day Five's action, China has reached 17 gold medals, a mark which took more than a week in Athens four years ago, after picking up one apiece in diving, weightlifting, shooting and gymnastics.

    The United States stays in second spot behind China in the medals table with 10 gold, and South Korea is in distant third place with five gold.

    Phelps claimed his 10th gold in the men's 200m butterfly, then added his 11th when the U.S. quartet swam to a runaway victory in the 4x200m freestyle relay in 6:58.56, chopping more than four seconds off their own world record of 7:03.24.

    That put the 23-year-old American two clear of Mark Spitz, American track and field star Carl Lewis, former Soviet gymnast Larissa Latynina and Finnish runner Paavo Nurmi for the most gold medals won in Olympic history.

    "Growing up I always wanted to be an Olympian," Phelps said. "Now to be the most decorated Olympian of all time, I have nothing to say.

    "I kept thinking, 'Wow, greatest Olympian of all time.' It's a pretty cool title. I'm definitely honored."

    Phelps now has won five gold medals in Beijing and is more than halfway towards breaking Spitz's record of seven Olympic gold medals in one Games.

    In between Phelps' victories, Australia's Stephanie Rice bettered her own world record with a time of 2:08.45 in the women's 200m individual medley for a gold.

    Also at the Water Cube, Federica Pellegrini became the first Italian woman to win Olympic swimming gold with a world record-breaking triumph in the 200m freestyle final. She shaved 0.63 seconds off the previous mark she set in Monday's heats with a time of 1:54.82.

    Chinese strongwoman Liu Chunhong successfully retained her Olympic weightlifting title in an astonishing world record-breaking fashion.

    Liu hoisted 128kg in snatch and 158kg in clean and jerk for a total of 286kg, all three being new world records in the women's 69kg category.

    The 23-year-old twice set the snatch world record with 125kg and 128kg lifts, beating the old mark of 123kg held by Russia's Oxana Slivenko. Her second clean and jerk effort of 149kg improved on the world record for the total lift to 277kg.

    Liu then succeeded in her final clean and jerk attempt of 158kg to eclipse Russian Zarema Kasaeva's world record of 157kg.

    "I think no one will reach those (records) in the next one to two years, and when someone does I will create more new records," said Liu.

    Chinese weightlifters are now six-for-six for gold medals, with Li Hongli bidding for a seventh in the men's 77kg later in the day.

    China won the women's gymnastics team title for the first time, upstaging 2004 champion Romania and an injury-hit U.S. team.

    The six-woman team of Cheng Fei, He Kexin, Jiang Yuyuan, Li Shanshan, Yang Yilin and Deng Linlin amassed a total of 188.900 points.

    "This is the most important gold medal," said Chinese head coach Lu Shanzhen.

    "This gold can encourage more kids to enjoy gymnastics... I believe that, for the coming years, Chinese gymnastics would become better and better," he added.

    Chinese divers look set to sweep all eight gold at stake, winning their fourth gold in four events. Wang Feng and Qin Kai scored 469.08 points to finish more than 40 points ahead of Russian silver medalists Suatin Dmitry and Yuriy Kunakov in the men's synchro 10-meter platform.

    In shooting, China's Chen Ying shot 793.4 points, a new Olympic record, to win the women's 25m pistol title. It is the host nation's third gold in the sport.

    In Greco-Roman wrestling, Chang Yongxiang added a silver for China in the men's 74kg class, which was won by Georgia's Manuchar Kvirkiev, while France captured its first gold at the Games with Steeve Guenot in the men's 66kg.

    In cycling, American Kristin Armstrong, who is not related to seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, took gold in women's time trial, and the men's time trial crown went to Switzerland's Fabian Cancellara.

    Masae Ueno snared Japan's fourth gold in Beijing when he scored an ippon victory over Cuban Anaysi Hernandez in the women's 70kg judo final.