The Chinese women struggled at the 2003 World Championships. Medal favorites, they lost the bronze in the team competition due to a procedural violation. One of the stars on the team, Fan Ye, fell on a simple release move in the uneven bars final and lost another medal opportunity.

Despite the disappointments, Fan excelled in the beam finals, earning the gold medal and the highest score of the competition. The highlight? A perfectly stuck double tuck dismount.

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(Pictured: Fan Ye; © Stephen Dunn / Getty Images)

Bure, who plays Summer in the gymnastics TV show Make It or Break It, answered questions from the media this week. Here's what this former Full House star (and current gymnastics fan) had to say.

Season two of MIOBI premieres January 4th at 9 pm.

(Pictured above: Candace Cameron Bure with co-star Cassie Scerbo; © ABC Family)

US athletes Mackenzie Caquatto and Kytra Hunter took home medals at the 2009 Toyota International in Toyota City, Japan. Caquatto earned the silver on bars, while Hunter took the bronze on floor. The competition was individual events only, for both men and women. US men competing were Tim Gentry and Alex Buscaglia, both gymnasts on the Stanford team. Gentry fared best on floor, with a sixth place finish, and Buscaglia placed seventh on both high bar and floor.

The home team dominated the meet overall, winning women's bars, beam, and floor, and men's floor, vault, and high bar. Japanese stars Koko Tsurumi and Kohei Uchimura, two of the most artistic gymnasts currently competing, each grabbed an event title as well (Tsurumi on bars, Uchimura on floor).

I haven't found videos yet, so please post in the comments if you spot some. There are a few photos on the Japanese Gymnastics Association website (day one medalists, day one action shots, and some day two action shots). I like that black version of the Japanese leotard (best shown in the beam photos here), and I'm definitely ready for the US women to have some new leos to debut!

• Women's results
• Men's results

More Beth Tweddle love this week: Tweddle, the best British gymnast in history, has made the short list of 10 for BBC Sports Personality of the Year. The winner will be announced after voting during a live show on the BBC on December 13. Unfortunately for those of us outside the UK, voting is restricted to UK residents calling from UK numbers. For those in the UK, here's more info on voting.

There's a nice article about Tweddle on the Guardian site that calls her "a true pioneer in her sport." I couldn't agree more. She has put British gymnastics on the map in women's gymnastics. Plus, her longevity (she's 24 now, and talks in the article about continuing to 2012) and the number of different bar routines she has showcased throughout those years is impressive enough. I'd count her as a pioneer on that event, too.

Here's Tweddle on bars in 2009, where she does an unimaginable number of releases and combinations, and her bar routine in 2003, when she did much more pirouette work.

There's also a little fluff video about Tweddle and the award, with kind of funny commentary from Melanie C, the former Spice Girl.

Updated (12/13/09): Soccer player Ryan Giggs won BBC Sports Personality of the Year, but still, congrats to Tweddle for being nominated!

(Pictured above: Beth Tweddle; © Clive Brunskill / Getty Images)