Gymnastics World Championships 2013: Event Times, Date and TV Schedule

The WC Artistic Gymnastics World Championships begin in Antwerp, Belgium this week, with seven days of tough competition for some of the world's best athletes. While the finals are understandably the focal point of the championships, getting there is going to be difficult enough.

Below is the programme of events for the week, along with some things to watch for as the competition progresses.

Events to Watch

Men's All-Around Event

The men's all-around event is going to be an incredibly exciting final, as three men have great chances of taking the title. After taking gold in the London Olympics last year, Japan's Kohei Uchimura is deservedly the favourite.

However, David Belyavskiy of Russia will be looking to add the world title to his European crown and push Uchimura all the way.

Closely behind Belyavskiy, Universidades champion Nikolai Kuksenkov will also be bidding to take the world crown back to Russia.

Women's All-Around Event

Moving on from the men, the women's competition also promises some interesting battles.

Since taking the world title in 2010, Aliya Mustafina has exerted some Russian dominance over the all-around event. She last took Olympic bars gold in 2012 and has captured European and Universidades glory this year.

But Simone Biles of the USA will be confident in her ability to take down Mustafina. Biles has the skill to contend in Antwerp following her national title win on September 22.

The 16-year-old showed the ability to remain focused throughout, and she remarked to EurWeb.com that her success was "no big deal" and that she "was happy for everyone else."

Women's Vault Final

The obvious name to watch here is American McKayla Maroney, who will be fighting it out for supremacy with Giulia Steingruber of Switzerland, Larisa Iordache of Romania and Maria Paseka of Russia.

These four all have the talent to come away with gold here, and Steingruber is the reigning European champion. They are undoubtedly the main contenders, but they face a strong charge from the likes of North Korean vaulter Hong Un-Jong, who won Olympic gold in 2008.

The key here will be striking the right balance between complexity and execution. There's a chance that, with such a strong field, the competitors will push themselves a little too far in a bid to outdo the others.

While this makes for an exciting contest, it could all come down to whoever finishes cleanly.