Both scored 16.725, but He got the nod because her execution marks were closer to a perfect 10 than Liukin's.

Liukin would not criticize the scoring system that does not award dual gold medals.

"It's nothing I can control, and honestly, I can say it has been very fair to me, and I got the biggest gold medal of them all," said Liukin, winner of the women's all-around gymnastics gold.

He, at the center of an age-eligibility controversy throughout the games, was fast and furious on the bars. Her twists and flips went by in the blink of an eye, and she won by about that short a margin.

Liukin, who sat stone-faced for much of the competition, now has four medals, two of them silver.

"I've tied my dad," she said of Valeri Liukin, who also is her coach and competed for the Soviet Union. "I'm a little sad, but at the same time, it's great to have four Olympic medals."

Monday's bronze went to China's Yang Yilin, her third medal, including bronze in the all-around.

U.S. women have won six medals here; China's women have five, including team gold.