MacLennan and Dong fly high in FIG Trampoline

Lausanne (SUI), June 25, 2012: Rosannagh MacLennan (CAN) and Dong Dong (CHN) won the women’s and men’s Individual Trampoline Gymnastics titles respectively in Arosa (SUI) on Saturday at the final FIG World Cup before the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Having qualified in third position behind China’s Huang Shanshan and Li Dan, MacLennan’s 55.605 in the Final won her the title. She outscored compatriot Karen Cockburn (55.125) and Huang (55.050) to share a World Cup podium with Cockburn for the first time. World Champion Li Dan (54.749) ended up off the podium in fourth place.

“We wanted to do strong routines and hoped to push one of the Chinese off the podium but we never expected to come first and second,” said MacLennan, who was runner-up at last year’s World Championships. “It’s the best we could have ever hoped for at the last World Cup before the Olympics. Now we have to go home and keep working on the little details, and hopefully we can both be on the podium at the Olympics. That would be amazing.”

In the men’s event, 2011 World runner-up Dong Dong (CHN), who was unbeaten in the previous World Cup events this month, continued his winning series in Arosa. After being the top qualifier, he scored a 61.460 in the Final that put him narrowly ahead of team-mate Tu Xiao (61.445). Japan’s Yasuhiro Ueyama, who had qualified in eighth position, moved up to third place in the Final to take the Bronze (60.105). Switzerland’s Nicolas Schori finished fifth with 57.210 points.

The synchro events saw the Chinese pairs Zhong Xingping / Li Dan and Fu Bing / He Yuxiang qualifying at the head of the women’s and men’s fields respectively, but both ending up last in the Finals with unfinished routines.

Belarusians Tatsiana Piatrenia and Sviatlana Makshtarova won the women’s event with a 47.900, defeating Russia’s Irina Kundius and Victoria Voronina (46.600) as well as Nataliia Moskvina and Maryna Kyiko (46.000) of Ukraine.

Ukraine men’s pair Dmytro Byedyevjin and Maksym Volianskyi (50.600) outscored the Japanese duo Takashi Sakamoto and Manabu Yamagichi (50.200) as well as France’s Gregoire Pennes and Sebastien Martiny (48.700) to win the Gold.

Swiss pairs Fanny Chilo / Melanie Peterhans (44.200) and Schori / Fabian Wyler (32.700) finished fifth and seventh in the women’s and men’s Finals respectively.

FIG Office.