World Games 2009 Test Events, Kaohsiung (TPE)
KAOHSIUNG (TPE) FIG Office, November 1, 2008: As the Tumbling, Men’s Trampoline Synchro and Acrobatics competitions of Men’s Groups, Women’s and Mixed Pairs get underway today in the Kaohsiung Arena, let’s take a look at what to expect tomorrow at the World Games 2009 Gymnastics Test Events.
Double Mini - Trampoline
This captivating discipline was invented in the early 1970s by US American Bob Bollinger, who also designed Trampoline’s judging system. In contrast to the scoring system used in Artistic Gymnastics, which was drastically modified after the Athens Olympic Games in 2004, the final score in all Trampoline events has always been based on execution and difficulty. The first Double Mini - Trampoline World Cup took place 1976 in Tulsa (USA). According to the Chinese calendar, 1976 was the Year of the Dragon, and with fire in their bellies, these dragons are soaring high into the air! The question is: who will best make use of the Yang?
In the women’s competition, Canadian Julie Warnock is certainly a hot favourite for the Gold medal. She is the current Vice World Champion on this apparatus. Warnock actually started practicing Tumbling at a recreational level before deciding to train and compete in all Trampoline disciplines at the age of 14. And while she enjoys the change and variety of performing on different apparatus, at 24 years of age Double - Mini is her favourite and best. 2008 has been a long season for Warnock, and she’s not finished yet. After this test event, she’s off to the Pan American Championships in early December. Competition is tough in her home country, but she hopes to qualify for the World Games in 2009; she’ll have to wait until the Canadian Championships have been played out in June next year before she knows whether or not that dream will come true. A long way to go! Seizing the opportunity to acclimate herself to the Kaohsiung Arena, Warnock will present her hardest routines tomorrow, packed with high-level difficulties.
Her primary challenger is Galina Goncharenko (RUS), Silver medallist at the World Cup in Albacete (ESP) this year and 4th at the 25th World Championships 2007 in Quebec (CAN). Also in the running is Ana Simoes (POR), who finished 5th in Albacete and 6th in Quebec. View the complete line-up here.
In the Men’s competition, Kirill Ivanov (RUS) will be the one to watch. Ivanov brought this discipline to a whole new dimension last year in Quebec when he performed more triple somersaults in a row than anyone else before him. Spectators can look forward to his extremely difficult routines. Other participants of the Quebec World Championships have come to compete in Kaohsiung. Among them, Canadian Alexander Seifert and Benjamin Lucky Radebe (RSA). Click here for the start list.
Acrobatics
Acrobatic Gymnastics is showing off its full range of disciplines this weekend. On Sunday, we’ll see Men’s Pairs and Women’s Groups. Due to an injury of Ekaterina Aleshina (RUS), the Russian Group was forced to withdraw from the competition, which makes the Ukrainians the only Group in the event. Among the favourites in the Men’s Pairs event count Joao Maia and Tiago Figueiredo from Portugal, who will be challenged by the Russian and Ukrainian Pairs. Best result of the season 2008 for Artem Yatsentyy and Ilya Kuznetsov (RUS) was a 3rd rank at the World Cup in Publier - Amphion (FRA) in May.
Though still very young, Maia (21) and Figueiredo (17) have earned a good deal of success over the course of their sporting careers. They won a Silver at the World Cup Final 2007 in Puurs (BEL) which makes them especially proud since all the big names where there. In 2006, this Portuguese ACRO Pair even won the Flanders International Acro Cup also in Puurs. More recently at the 21st World Championships in Glasgow (GBR) Maia and Figueiredo ranked 5th, having left their strong Chinese rivals in the dust, with only the Russian and Ukrainian Pairs ahead of them.
These two young acrobats from Porto have been practicing together since 2005 and they’ve consistently improved their performance ever since. As the only acrobats in Portugal competing at the Senior A level, it’s a challenge for them to practice with juniors or seniors of a lower level. There is an upside, though: as the only Portuguese ACRO Pair, Maia and Figueiredo are already qualified for the World Games 2009, so we’re sure to see them again in Kaohsiung next year.
Start Lists Acrobatics
Men’s Trampoline Synchro
An impressive line-up is awaiting the crowd for the Men’s Trampoline Synchro competition. Apart from the Russian and the Japanese Synchro Pairs, 2007 World Championship participants from France, Portugal, Italy and Ukraine are lining up in the Kaohsiung Arena. Grégoire Pennes and Sébastien Martiny (FRA) figure among the favourites here, having already played out a long and successful season this year. Their best result in 2008 is second place at the World Cup in Publier – Amphion in their home country France, followed by two 4th positions at the World Cups in Osaka (JPN) and Togliatti (RUS). Both Pennes and Martiny are competing in the Olympic Individual Trampoline discipline on an international level. Pennes barely missed the Finals at the Olympic Games in Beijing this year.
Having begun training in the Paris region at the age of 16 and 17, the two young French trampoliners have been working on their Synchro Pair ever since. They moved to the French National Training Centre in Antibes near Nice, where they combine daily practice and Studies in Management and Computer Science.
In Kaohsiung, Pennes and Martiny consider Shunsuke Nagasaki and Masaki Ito (JPN) to be their strongest opponents. With routines of similar difficulty, the Japanese Pair at its best shows slightly higher precision in execution. Not to fear! The French Synchro Pair will start with their standard exercise, but they’ve got some incredible difficulty up their sleeves for the Final.
Something to look forward to!
