Russia, with a dominating total of 51.100, Saturday repeated their gold-winning feat at the Sydney Games in rhythmic gymnastics group all-around at Athens Olympics, beating Italy, another hot ticket in the sport, to the second with 49.450.

Russia led both rotation with five ribbons and the one with three hoops and two balls, scoring 25.300 and 25.800, respectively, in the Galatsi Olympic Hall.

"It was very difficult, but we made it, because we are united as a team and tied by friendship," said Natalia Lavrova of Russia.

"There were some concerns (before the contest)," she said. "But we overcame them."

As the Italians earned their first ever Olympic medal in rhythmic gymnastics, the bronze went to Bulgaria, former nine times world champion, with 48.600.

Italy were in second place for both exercises, impressing with high throws of the apparatus, witty passovers between the gymnasts and a variety of formations.

"It's a reward for all our efforts," said Marinella Falca of Italy. "It's the highest reward we could dream of."

"I think that team-work was the decisive factor," she added. "I hope this medal helps promote the sport in my country."

Bulgarian "Bolero" with three hoops and two balls was the most daring composition of the day, displaying cascades of breathtaking apparatus exchanges from the beginning through to the last beat of the music.

China, finishing sixth, would be best remembered with their exquisite overall appearance and imaginative opening, as well as the closing with a "Chinese Fan," at the end of the hoops/balls performance.

"We performed well," said Zhang Shuo of China. "Although we expected more Olympic experiences, most of us won't make the Beijing Olympic team."

She indicated that most of her teammates were born before 1984 as the sport desires those younger than 19 to compete at the Olympic arena.

During the final, Greece climbed to fifth after the judges reviewed the video from the first round, five ribbons, and realized that there was one violation less than initially thought.

Greece was penalized with a deduction of 0.10 points during the first round since one of the athletes was thought to have stepped out of the line. Upon reviewing the video, the judges saw that this was not the case, therefore changed Greece's score.

During the group qualification two days earlier, Russia, Italy and Bulgaria topped the standings.

These top three alongside Greece, China, Belarus, Brazil and Spain qualified for the final. In the group finals, the scoring started from zero, therefore everybody aimed for solid performances.

The best key to the podium, however, seems to be an error free routine with the five ribbons. For the groups, this apparatus was introduced two years ago, but still causes problems to gymnasts because of its nature and the technical requirements of handling it.

Group exercises with small hand apparatus were included in the artistic gymnastics program of the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, where six gymnasts performed their routines with ropes, some decorated with flowers.

The first Olympics to feature rhythmic gymnastics as a stand- alone discipline were the 1984 Los Angeles Games where only individuals were allowed to participate.

In 1996, in Atlanta, the first group routines were launched and Spain won the title, followed by Bulgaria, and Russia.

Today, this sport is popular around the world with nearly 50 countries and regions participating in the World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships.