AARHUS, Denmark, Oct 17 - China made a stirring comeback from a dreadful start to snatch the men's team gold medal at the world gymnastics championships on Tuesday.

Gymnasts from China celebrate their gold medals win on the podium following the men's team final at the 39th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Aarhus, Denmark, October 18, 2006. Team China won the gold medal followed by Russian silver and Japan's bronze.

Error-filled displays left China trailing in seventh place after the first two rotations before they defiantly hauled themselves up the standings to clinch the title with a total of 277.775. It was their fifth triumph from their last six appearances and made up for their 2004 Athens Games flop.

A dramatic fall by Zou Kai from the horizontal bar on their final performance did not stop China from eclipsing second-placed Russia by 2.375 points, while Olympic champions Japan settled for bronze.

China had come to Aarhus to prove a point in the run up to hosting the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. With mission accomplished, in typical understated manner they turned to their flag-waving fans in the stands and acknowledged the cheers.

Japan had been expected push China all the way after finishing second in qualifying but endured a miserable evening to end up with a combined score of 274.800 The fact that the two Asian nations ended up with a medal was a remarkable achievement considering they were rooted to the bottom of the standings after an abysmal start on the floor.