26th TRA TUM DMT World Championships
St Petersburg (RUS), November 11-14, 2009

A huge British delegation of gymnasts and coaches are all eagerly awaiting the World Championships (11-14 November) and World Age Group Championships (18-21 November) in Trampoline, Tumbling and Double Mini-Trampoline in St Petersburg.

For results/schedules/start lists click here - http://www.stpetersburg2009.sportcentric.com

The 26th World Championships in Trampoline, Tumbling and Double Mini-Trampoline will get underway in St Petersburg (RUS) at the Sports and Concert Complex.

A total of 274 gymnasts (162 men and 112 women) from 32 different federations and every continent will participate in these championships, which feature Individual and Team competitions in Individual Trampoline, Tumbling and Double Mini-Trampoline as well as Synchronised Trampoline events. Great Britain and Russia will be sending the largest delegations (23 gymnasts per country), followed by Canada (22 entries) and the USA (19 participants). Kylie Walker (NZL), and Claudia Prat (ESP), both Women’s Individual Trampoline, will be the only representative from their countries.

Britain has a huge depth in talent in all of these disciplines and will be hoping for considerable success. The British delegates in each discipline can be found by clicking the links below-

Trampoline

Trampoline(Age Group)

Tumbling

DMT

DMT(Age Group) and DMT (Wildcards)

 
General Preview (c/o FIG Press Office)

Men’s Individual Trampoline

The Men’s Individual Trampoline competition will see Asia’s powerhouses China and Japan battle it out for medal ranks with Canada and the Ukraine.

With Olympic Champion Lu Chunlong, 2007 World Champion Ye Shuai and Olympic Bronze medallist and 2007 World runner-up Dong Dong, China sends an impressive line-up to St Petersburg. The team is completed by 21 year old Tu Xiao, 2009 World Cup Series medallist (Silver in Zielona Gora, Bronze in Salzgitter).

Winner of the 2009 World Cup Series Masaki Ito and team-mate Yasuhiro Ueyama, 2007 World Bronze medallist and 2005 World runner-up, are Japan’s hopes for a medal in the Men’s Individual event. Tetsuya Sotomura, 4th in Beijing and Bronze medallist at the 2005 Worlds in Eindhoven (NED), looks to have an equally good chance of coming out on top. Also competing for Japan is synchronised specialist Shunsuke Nagasaki.

Canada are bringing in the big guns with 2008 Olympic Silver medallist and runner-up of the 2009 World Cup Series Jason Burnett, while Ukraine rely on Yuri Nikitin, fifth in Beijing and third on the ranking.

It will also be interesting to see Danish Peter Jensen, Belarusian Viatchaslau Modzel, US American Logan Dooley and German Martin Gromowski, who were successful at this year’s World Cup Series.

Men’s Trampoline Team competition

Out of the 28 nations participating in the Men’s Individual Trampoline competition, 18 start with three or four gymnasts and their scores will count for the Team ranking. 2007 medallists China (Gold), Japan (Silver) and France (Bronze) are looking good again this year, but don’t underestimate the challengers from host Russia, who are likely to qualify for the Finals!

Women’s Individual Trampoline

The Women’s line-up for the Individual Trampoline competition features celebs from Canada, China, Russia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan, all battling it out in St Petersburg.

China’s 2008 Olympic Champion He Wenna and team-mate Huang Shanshan, 2007 World runner-up and 2004 Olympic Bronze medallist, will face three times Olympic medallist Karen Cockburn from Canada and her compatriot Rosannagh MacLennan, who placed third at the 2007 World Championships. Interestingly, Huang and MacLennan share second position on this season’s final FIG World ranking.

Russia’s legendary Irina Karavaeva, 5-times World Champion, winner of the first Olympic Gold medal in Trampoline and defender of the world title looks forward to competing in her first world championships in her homeland. And her fans won't be disappointed!

Also joining the ranks is Ukrainian Olena Movchan, winner of the 2009 World Cup Series, and Ekaterina Khilko (UZB), 2008 Olympic Bronze medallist and 4th in rank. Keep an eye on Great Britain’s Katherine Driscoll, Tatiana Petrenia (BLR) and Yulia Domchevska (UKR), too.

Women’s Trampoline Team Competition

23 federations have entered a total of 60 gymnasts to the Women’s Individual Trampoline event, out of which 12 will participate in the Team Competition. World Championships of the past saw China and Russia at the top, followed by Canada (2003) and the USA (2005) in third. In 2007, Canada placed second between China (Gold) and Russia (Bronze).

The question is whether the traditionally stronger nations in Trampoline will dominate this year. Competition is tough; who knows but we may be surprised!

Men’s Synchronised Trampoline

31 Pairs from 20 different federations have registered for the Men’s Synchronised Trampoline competition.

Japanese Pair Shunsuke Nagasaki / Masaki Ito will start as the favourites in St Petersburg. With three World Cup victories this year, they not only topped the final ranking, they gave an impressive performance at the World Games in Kaohsiung (TPE), where they took home a coveted Gold. Reigning World Champions also competing for Japan are Tetsuya Sotomura and Yasuhiro Ueyama.

Close on their heels are French Sébastien Martiny / Grégoire Pennes, World Games runners-up and third of the 2009 Series, as well as Mikalai Kazak / Viatchaslau Modzel (BLR). The Belarusian Pair finished second in the series and missed out on a medal due to a failed routine in the World Games Final in Kaohsiung.

Look out for Danish Daniel Praest / Peter Jensen, Australians Ben Wilden / Blake Gaudry and for US Americans Steven Gluckstein / Logan Dooley and Portugal’s Diogo Ganchinho / Nuno Merino!

Women’s Synchronised Trampoline

In the Women’s competition, reigning World Champions Karen Cockburn / Rosannagh MacLennan are facing tough competition from World Games Champions and winners of the World Cup Series Elena Movchen / Yulia Domchevska (UKR). The Pair from Ukraine won Bronze in 2007.

With Galina Goncharenko / Anna Ivanova and Irina Karaeva / Victoria Voronina, Russia enters two Pairs, the latter of which is new. Voronina had been successfully competing with Anastasia Velichko, ranking an overall second in the 2009 World Cup season. Individual gymnast Karaeva also medalled in Synchro earlier on with partner Natalia Chernova (1999 – Bronze; 2007 – Silver).

Third in the World Ranking, Belarusians Katsiaryna Mironava / Tatsiana Piatrenia are also aiming for the medal ranks, as are Anna Savkina / Ekaterina Khilko from Uzbekistan (4th).

And will Germany’s Carina Baumgaertner / Jessica Simon be able to reclaim their success from Kaohsiung, where they won a World Games Bronze this summer?

Men’s Tumbling

45 male tumblers from 14 different countries will compete for the new World Champion title in St Petersburg, whereas only ten federations entered enough gymnasts to be eligible for the Team Competition.

In the Individual competition, reigning World and World Games Champion and winner of the World Cup Series Andrey Krylov (RUS) is expected to collect another Gold in St Petersburg. His closest challengers hail from the USA, notably in the form of Kalon Ludvigson, 2007 runner-up and second on the World Ranking, as well as from Ukraine with Viktor Kyforenko, 2009 World Games Bronze medallist.

Siarhei Artemenka, the 2007 Bronze medallist from Belarus, participated in the Final in Salzgitter last month, but it remains to be seen whether he’ll deliver in St Petersburg.

Michael Barnes won a fantastic Silver for Great Britain earlier this year at the World Games. What can we expect from him this time around? All eyes on Polish gymnast Sebastian Sondel, Russia’s Evgeny Zinukov and China’s tumblers; out of the four Chinese tumblers getting ready to compete in St Petersburg, Yang Song was the only Chinese tumbler to participate in the World Cups this year, winning a Silver in Sofia. By contrast, Wang Jiexu, who came out ahead in Sofia, will be absent in St Petersburg.

The 2007 World Championships saw Russia, China and Belarus on top of the Men’s Tumbling Team ranking, while in the past France, Great Britain, the USA and South Africa were the ones who traditionally made it to the podium.

Women’s Tumbling

With 25 registered gymnasts from eight different countries, the Women’s Tumbling field is the smallest in terms of entries at these championships. Since three countries won’t be sending a complete team, the five teams from Canada, Great Britain, Russia, Ukraine and the USA will directly qualify for the Team Final. In previous years, USA and Russia topped the Team rankings, followed by Great Britain and France respectively in third.

In the Individual competition favourite Anna Korobeynikova (RUS), 2005 and 2007 World and 2009 World Games Champion, and her primary challenger Olena Chabanenko (UKR), double World Champion and 2005 and 2007 runner-up, are expected to make the cut.

Other candidates for the podium are 2007 Bronze medallist Anastasia Isupova (RUS), South Africa’s Karen Wilson (3rd in World Ranking), Canadian Ashley Speed and Anzhelika Soldatkina (RUS).

Men’s Double Mini-Trampoline

Out of the 12 federations represented by 38 gymnasts for the Men’s Double Mini-Trampoline competition, nine countries will participate in the Team competition. Russia, the USA and Great Britain prevailed in the 2007 Team ranking, but in previous years Canada, Bulgaria, Spain, Germany, Portugal, New Zealand and Australia also got their spot on the podium. It’ll be exciting to watch who will make it in St Petersburg!

With none of the 2009 World Cups having featured Double Mini-Trampoline, it’s hard to predict what to expect at the World Championships. The results of this year’s World Games may give an indication; and some of these competitors have already performed at the 2007 Worlds in Quebec.

Kirill Ivanov prevailed at both competitions, taking home the Gold for Russia, and will certainly do everything in his power to please his home crowd. The Russian will be challenged by Kalon Ludvigson (USA), 2007 runner-up, Andre Lico from Portugal, World Games Silver medallist, and German Nico Gaertner, who won Bronze in Kaohsiung.

Women’s Double Mini-Trampoline

28 gymnasts from nine different countries have registered for the Women’s Double Mini-Trampoline competition, but Germany and South Africa are the only delegations not sending a full team for this event. Russia, Canada and the USA are traditionally strong countries in Women’s Double Mini-Trampoline and were represented on the 2007 Team podium. Before that Portugal, Germany and Australia had also been seen at the forefront.

Top contenders this year are Russia’s Victoria Voronina, who won Gold earlier this year in Kaohsiung (TPE), US Americans Sarah Prosen and Aubree Balkan, who placed second and third respectively in Kaohsiung, as well as 2007 Silver medallist Canadian Julie Warnock.

19th World Age Group Competitions

The World Championships will be followed by the 19th World Age Group Competitions, also to be held in St Petersburg’s Sports and Concert Complex from November 18-21, 2009. Boys and girls of Age Groups 11-12, 13-14, 15-16 and 17-18 years will compete in Individual and Synchronised Trampoline, Tumbling and Double Mini-Trampoline.

FIG Microsite

Visit http://www.stpetersburg2009.sportcentric.com for competition schedules, provisional entry lists and more.

LAUSANNE (SUI), FIG Office, October 27, 2009