FIG World Cup A in Trampoline Gymnastics and Tumbling
Zielona Gora (POL), September 4 – 5, 2009

LAUSANNE (SUI), FIG Office, August 31, 2009: After Sofia in April and Ostend last weekend, the fourth and second to last Trampoline Gymnastics and Tumbling World Cup of the season will take place in Zielona Gora (POL) from September 4 – 5, 2009.

The organisers of the Polish Gymnastics Association and the LOC have secured the city’s Hala Sportowa MOSiR for the upcoming competitions in Individual and Synchronised Trampoline Gymnastics and Men’s and Women’s Tumbling. Trampolines are provided by FIG partner Eurotramp, and Acrosport will be supplying the Tumbling track.

115 gymnasts are registered for the Individual Trampoline categories (69 men / 46 women) alongside 37 Synchro Pairs (26 men’s / 11 women’s) and 25 tumblers (15 men / 10 women). A total of 21 federations will be represented at this event.

The World Cup format features a preliminary round with the top eight gymnasts or Pairs advancing to the Finals, in which a maximum of two Individuals or one Pair per country may enter.

Spectators will get to see big names in international trampoline in Zielona Gora.

In Men’s Individual Trampoline, 2007 title holder and 2008 Olympic Champion Lu Chunlong (CHN) faces tough competition from his compatriot and Beijing Bronze Medallist Dong Dong, FIG World Ranking leader and winner of the World Cup in Sofia (BUL) Masaki Ito (JPN) and 2008 Olympic runner-up from Canada Jason Burnett. Olympian and Silver medallist in Sofia Yuriy Nikitin (UKR) and Danish Peter Jensen (3rd in Sofia) are also candidates for the podium.

Olena Movchan (UKR) (1.), Tatsiana Piatrenia (BLR) (2.) and Rosannagh MacLennan (CAN) (3.) are at the top of the current FIG World Rankings in Women’s Individual Trampoline, and they’ll all be competing in Zielona Gora. The fight for the medals will be a tough one with 2008 Olympic Champion He Wenna (CHN) and Beijing Bronze Medallist from Uzbekistan Ekaterina Khilko.

In Men’s Synchronised Trampoline, Japanese Pairs Masaki Ito / Shunsuke, Gold medallists in Sofia and at this year’s World Games, and Yasuhiro Ueyama / Takeshi Sakamoto are likely to place at the top. World Ranking leaders and 2009 World Games runners up Grégoire Pennes / Sébastien Martiny also figure among the favourites, as do 2007 title holder Ben Wilden and his new partner Blake Gaudry from Australia, who promise to give outstanding performances. Close enough to taste a medal in Kaohsiung (TPE), the Portuguese and Ukrainian Pairs will be trying hard to make it to the podium this time around.

Title holder in Women’s Synchronised Trampoline Rosannagh Maclennan (CAN) will be competing with her new partner Kailey McLeod and they will do everything in their power to stand their ground against 2009 World Games Champions and World Ranking leaders from Ukraine Yuliia Domchevska / Olena Movchan as well as Tatsiana Piatrenia / Katsiaryna Mironava (BLR) (2.) and Russians Anastasia Velicho / Victoria Voronina (4.).

In the absence of the great champions of Russia and China, spectators can look forward to seeing some new faces on the Men’s Tumbling podium. Kalon Ludvigson (USA), 2007 runner up from Zielona Gora and Silver Medallist at the 2008 World Cup Final, Ukrainian Viktor Kykarenko and Yves Tarin from France are just a few of the gymnasts who are in for the race of their lives.

Double World Champion Anna Korobeynikova (RUS) is sitting this one out, making room in the Women’s Tumbling competition for Ukraine’s Olena Chababanko. Canadians Emily Smith (3rd at 2009 World Games) and Ashley Speed (3rd in Sofia) are hoping for a medal, as is Karen Wilson (RSA), currently 3rd on the FIG World Ranking.

Check out the starting order!

Two years ago, in September 2007, Zielona Gora hosted a FIG World Cup competition that was the first World Cup held in Poland since 1998.

2007 Title Holders

Men’s Individual Trampoline - LU Chunlong (CHN) – 40.80
Women’s Individual Trampoline - KARAVAEVA Irina (RUS) – 38.00
Men’s Synchronised Trampoline - WILDEN Ben / BROWN Scott (AUS) – 49.30
Women’s Synchronised Trampoline - COCKBURN Karen / MACLENNAN Rosannagh (CAN) – 47.90
Men’s Tumbling - LI Zhenqiu (CHN) – 76.20
Women’s Tumbling - PALMER Samantha (GBR) – 67.80

The next and last stopover of the season’s World Cup circuit in Trampoline Gymnastics will be in Salzgitter (GER) from September 11 - 12.