American Carly Patterson, runner-up in the 2003 Worlds, took the women's individual all-around gymnastics gold medal with 38.387 points at the Athens Olympics Thursday.

Athens champion album: US Patterson, women's individual all-around gymnastics

Patterson made the U.S. gymnastics team collect both the men's and women's all-around titles in Athens. Paul Hamm became men's all-around winner on Thursday.

Suffering a dim start on vault with only 9.375 points, Patterson 16, rallied from the uneven bars on which she earned 9.575 points.

The American consolidated her advantage from the beam with a night-high 9.725 points against runner-up Russian veteran Svetlana Khorkina on the last apparatus of floor exercise.

As the last performer for the floor, which is her strong event, Patterson showed full confidence in her routine with stuck landings. And she eventually got the event-high 9.712 points.

Khorkina, triple world and European all-around champion and twice Olympic champion on the uneven bars, also displayed her good form tonight but she was unlucky to meet an even better American.

Khorkina, 25, who was definitely in her last Olympic tour, finished second with 38.211 points.

On her strongest event of the uneven bars, the Russian veteran scored 9.725 points, also the game high. However, a wobble on the beam smashed her hope for clinching the gold, which she wanted mostly.

Zhang Nan from China, the 2003 world bronze medalist, garnered the bronze with 38.049 points.

The bronze was the first medal pocketed by the Chinese gymnastics team at the Athens Olympics, where China, a traditional gym powerhouse, finished fifth in the men's team, seventh in the women's team and seventh in the men's individual all-around.

Chinese women's team coach Lu Shanzhen said after the competition that Zhang's bronze medal might be a turning point for the whole Chinese gymnastics team.

"Zhang committed some errors in the team final. But she recovered soon and showed better form tonight," Lu added.

"I am very satisfied with her performance today," he noted.

Zhang, who performed in the strongest group including Patterson and Khorkina, collected 9.325 points on vault, 9.462 on uneven bars, 9.662 on beam and 9.600 on floor.

Results of women's gymnastics individual all-around final

1. Carly Patterson, United States, 38.387 points

2. Svetlana Khorkina, Russia, 38.211

3. Zhang Nan, China, 38.049

4. Anna Pavlova, Russia, 38.024

5. Nicoleta Sofronie, Romania, 37.948

6. Irina Yarotska, Ukraine, 37.687

7. Marine Debavve, France, 37.361

8. Elena Gomez, Spain, 37.299