Olympics probe into China's 'underage' teenage gymnast

Officials were forced to act after new questions were raised over the age of He Kexin, who became the darling of the Chinese crowds after winning gold medals in the individual asymmetric bars and team artistic gymnastics.

She had been registered as being born on January 1, 1992 but new Chinese state documents uncovered suggest that she is only 14, not 16 - the minimum age for competition - and should not have been allowed to compete.

Age claim: He Kexin shows off her gold medal with America's Nastia Liukin China's Yang Yilin

There are also doubts over the true age of bronze medal winner Yilin. British officials will be closely watching the outcome of the investigation by the International Gymnastics Federation.

Briton Beth Tweddle finished fourth behind He Kexin and Yang Yilin, and could be awarded a medal should either of the pair be stripped of their gold and bronze - a sanction officials in Beijing described last night as being 'highly unlikely'.

Amanda Kirby, Tweddle's longtime coach, said yesterday: 'If she gets promoted to a medal, great; if not, fair enough. We never really had any doubts about the Chinese. You just have to be in Beijing to see what a very small people the Chinese are.'

Performance: He Kexin competes in the women's uneven bars final

Historic win: China's Cheng Fei, Yang Yilin, Li Shanshan, He Kexin, Jiang Yuyuan and Deng Linlin (left to right)

China has invested billions in selecting and training its athletes from a young age, an effort rewarded by top spot in the medals table, with 46 golds.

This has been seen as a sign China has the sporting prowess to match its rising superpower status.

There has been criticism of the system even from within China, though, with one former Olympic medallist saying many children who fail to make the grade are left without sufficient education or social skills.