2012 was an exciting year for the sport of artistic gymnastics. As we move closer to the 2013 World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium, a fact struck me. The last Worlds to be held in Belgium was in Ghent in 2001. Both the 2001 Worlds and 2013 Worlds happen to be one year after an Olympic Games.

Let's take a closer look at how the sport has changed since 2001, and how last year’s Olympics could shape the medal outcome in Antwerp.

Let’s start with the medals for the women. Below are the medal winners from the 2000 Olympics and the 2001 World Championships.

2000 Sydney Olympics

Team Final 
Gold: Romania
Silver: Russia
*Bronze: China

All-Around
Gold: Simona Amanar – Romania
Silver: Maria Olaru – Romania
Bronze: Liu Xuan – China
Andreea Raducan of Romania initially won the gold, but the medal was stripped after testing positive for a banned substance in cold medicine.

Vault
Gold: Elena Zamolodchikova – Russia
Silver: Andreea Raducan – Romania
Bronze: Yekaterina Lobaznyuk-Russia

Uneven Bars
Gold: Svetlana Khorkina – Russia
Silver: Ling Jie – China
Bronze: Yang Yun – China 

Balance Beam
Gold: Liu Xuan – China
Silver: Yekaterina Lobaznyuk – Russia
Bronze: Yelena Produnova – Russia

Floor Exercise
Gold: Elena Zamolodchikova – Russia
Silver: Svetlana Khorkina – Russia
Bronze: Simona Amanar – Romania

 *NOTE: In 2010, the International Olympic Committee stripped China of their team bronze medal and awarded it to fourth place United States. However, for the purpose of this blog, we will keep China in third as that is how it was going into the 2001 World Championships.

2001 Ghent World Championships

The 2001 World Championships did feature a team final. However, the 2013 World Championships will be an individual Worlds with no team competition.

Team Final 
Gold: Romania
Silver: Russia
Bronze: United States

All-Around 
Gold: Svetlana Khorkina – Russia
Silver: Natalia Ziganshina – Russia
Bronze: Andreea Raducan – Romania

Watch Svetlana Khorkina clench her all around title in Ghent: 

Vault
Gold: Svetlana Khorkina – Russia
Silver: Oksana Chusovitina-Uzbekistan
Bronze: Andreea Raducan - Romania

Uneven Bars
Gold: Svetlana Khorkina – Russia
Silver: Renske Endel – Netherlands
Bronze: Katie Heenan – United States 

Balance Beam
Gold: Andreea Raducan – Romania
Silver: Ludmila Ezhova – Russia
Bronze: Sun Xiaojiao – China

Floor Exercise
Gold: Andreea Raducan – Romania
Silver: Daniele Hypolito – Brazil
Bronze: Svetlana Khorkina – Russia

As you can see, Russia and Romania dominated the 2000 Olympics and were able to carry their success to the 2001 World Championships where they won their 4th straight World title. Romania was the strongest country at the time and would continue to dominate for the next four years.

The United States began their team medal streak during these Championships. At the 2001 Worlds, the American women won their first World team medal since 1995 Sabae where they also took bronze. They have remained on the World medal podium since. Brazil also started winning medals and would again in 2003. Renske Endel's silver uneven bars medal for the Netherlands was the first for the country in several decades. 

Fast forward eleven years, and below are the medal winners from the 2012 Olympics.

2012 London Olympics



Team Final
Gold: United States  
Silver: Russia
Bronze: Romania

All-Around
Gold: Gabby Douglas – United States
Silver: Viktoria Komova – Russia
Bronze: Aliya Mustafina – Russia

Vault
Gold: Sandra Izbasa – Romania
Silver: McKayla Maroney – United States
Bronze: Maria Paseka – Russia

Uneven Bars
Gold: Aliya Mustafina – Russia
Silver: He Kexin – China
Bronze: Elizabeth Tweddle–Great Britain

Balance Beam
Gold: Deng Linlin – China
Silver: Sui Lu – China
Bronze: Aly Raisman – United States

Floor Exercise
Gold: Aly Raisman – United States
Silver: Catalina Ponor – Romania
Bronze: Aliya Mustafina – Russia 

Today, the United States is the most dominate country. Russia struggled after the 2000 Olympics but made a steady comeback and is once again a serious contender for gold medals. They even won the world team and all around titles in 2010. Likewise, Romania made a comeback after missing out on medals the last couple of years.

The only former powerhouse team that has continued to struggle is China. They have won several team bronze medals at Worlds. However, they often have falls and other costly mistakes that keep them from silver or gold. At the 2012 Olympics, the team placed fourth. They are much stronger individually and will have a few medeal contenders on bars and beam in Antwerp. 

At the upcoming World Championships, there will of course be no team competition. Instead, athletes will be looking to add their names to the elusive list of famed World individual medalists. 2012 women's Olympic medalists contending for titles in Antwerp will be: Aliya Mustafina, Sandra Izbasa, McKayla Maroney, Kyla Ross, Larisa Iordache, and Maria Paseka. 

Gymnastike will be on-site for coverage of the 2013 World Championships. Coverage from Antwerp will begin September 26.