World Games 2009 Test Events, Kaohsiung (TPE)

KAOHSIUNG (TPE) FIG Office, November 5, 2008: Aerobic gymnasts from six different countries impressed spectators last night at the qualifying rounds with spectacular performances. Before they line up at tonight’s Final, let’s have a closer look at who they are, where they come from and what their careers look like:

Hungary

After a couple of lean years, Hungarian Senior Aerobic gymnasts are back on the international scene. Thomas Katus (HUN), Aerobic Gymnastics Trio World Champion from 1998 to 2000, coaches the Hungarian all-men Trio, made up of brothers Ramon and Richard Tyekla’r and Ferenc Szekely. After practicing together for only one year, they ranked 6th at the World Cup in Borovets (BUL) this year.

The Hungarian national Aerobic Team is especially proud of 20 year old Zsolt Roik who placed 5th at the 10th World Championships in Ulm (GER), the best a Hungarian Aerobic gymnast in Men’s Individual has ever achieved. Still a Junior in 2005, Roik won a Gold at the Junior World Cup in Leipzig (GER) and a Silver at the Junior European Championships in Portugal. Training under coach Dorottya Doczi, Roik gleans expert instruction from an outstanding former Aerobic gymnast.
In light of the skilled competitors performing here in Kaohsiung, Hungary is hoping to win one medal at these test events.

Vietnam

The Vietnamese Aerobic gymnasts trained by 2004 World Champion Marian Kolev (BUL) will start in the Mixed Pair and Trio categories at the test events in Kaohsiung. Kolev was invited to Vietnam in 2006 when he started coaching Ha Tran Thi Thu and Dong Vu Ba, who make up the Mixed Pair. Although they reached 5th place at the World Cup in Borovets (BUL) and ranked 11th at the 10th Aerobic World Championships in Ulm (GER) earlier this year, Vietnam’s Mixed Pair has not yet qualified for the World Games 2009.

The country’s Trio, however, who ranked 7th in Ulm, has secured its spot on next year’s start list. Vietnam’s Trio is the only all-women trio at these text events. 19 year old Tran Thi Thu competes in both Trios and Mixed Pairs, which she finds challenging. As a full time gymnast, she currently practices 6 hours a day, 6 days a week just like her Mixed Pair partner, who is also a student.

All five Vietnamese Aerobic gymnasts have practiced hard and are well prepared for the competition. Their objective is to do their best here in Kaohsiung as they prepare for the upcoming Asian Championships in Bangkok (THA) in December.

France

France is represented at all Aerobic Gymnastics events in Kaohsiung this year and they’ve declared their intention to win the Gold in each one of them. And they just might do it! Look at the long list of victories these French competitors boast.

Grégory Alcan and Xavier Julien are the most experienced members of the French national Team, and both started to compete internationally in 1997 when the sport was still very young. Ever since then, the two gymnasts have been busy collecting titles in various disciplines. Alcan feels the following titles are the most important achievements of his lifetime so far:

Men’s Individual: World Champion 2004

Trio: World Champion 1999, Silver Medallist World Games 2005

Group: Silver Medallist World Championships 2008

Mixed Pair: 8th place at World Championships 2008 with his sister Christelle Alcan

Not only is Alcan a remarkable gymnast, he puts a lot of effort into the development of aerobics in Africa, Iran and Japan. His aim is to provide concrete projects aimed at helping juniors in their personal and professional development. Although Alcan works closely with the federations, his vision could not be made reality without the support of his faithful sponsor, Victor Chance Communication.

Together with Julien Chaninet, who also competes in Men’s Individual and Mixed Pair events, Grégory Alcan and Xavier Julien start as a Trio here in Kaohsiung. The top achievement ever for 25 year old Chaninet was a Gold medal at this year’s World Championships in the Mixed Pair category alongside Aurélie Joly. Like her partner, Joly also starts in the Individual event in tonight’s final. The French line-up comes full circle with 20 year old Morgan Jacquemin, who impressed fans at the World Championships this year in Ulm with two second places in the Group and Individual categories.