38th FIG TRAMPOLINE GYMNASTICS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS START IN PAMPLONA (ESP)

The 38th FIG Trampoline Gymnastics World Championships start today at the Navarra Arena in Pamplona (ESP) with over 350 gymnasts representing 39 national gymnastics federations competing across 16 medal events, including a mixed synchronised trampoline event for the first time at a world championships.

Those events include men’s and women’s individual and synchronised trampoline, double-mini trampoline and tumbling, an all-around competition that involves all three and a team event for men and women.

Who to watch

Individual Olympic gold medallists Bryony Page (GBR) and Ivan Litvinovich (AIN) have both made the trip to Spain, as have one half of the reigning Men’s and Women’s Synchronised Trampoline duos, as Caio Lauxtermann (GER) and Sarah Webster (USA) will both be jumping with new partners: Matthias Schuldt (GER) and Jessica Stevens (USA).

After the knock-out competition format employed at this year’s World Games in Chengdu (CHN) made for a thrilling Tumbling competition, the excitement is set to continue in Pamplona with the reigning World Champion and World Games champions competing in both the men’s and women’s events.

In Women’s Tumbling, Megan Kealy (GBR) and Candy Briere-Vetillard (FRA) have traded first and second place between the World Championships in Birmingham two years ago and the World Games earlier this year. Their duel continues in Pamplona.

There has been a similar situation in Men’s Tumbling, with Kaden Brown (USA) swapping places with two different gymnasts from Azerbaijan: Mikhail Malkin took the title in Birmingham, while Brown beat Tofig Aliyev to the gold medal at the World Games, despite Aliyev’s rare “full-full-full”.

In the Double-Mini Trampoline event, reigning World Champion Ruben Padilla (USA) will be defending his Men’s title against the likes of The World Games champion Brent Deklerck (BEL) and Gavin Dodd (CAN), who took the bronze medal in Chengdu and finished fourth two years ago in Birmingham. In the women’s competition, the absence of The World Games champion Diana Gago (POR) paves the way for a familiar battle between Grace Harder (USA) and Melania Rodriguez (ESP), who have traded podium spots since Rodriguez took the world championship title in Birmingham two years ago. Double-Mini legend Mikhail Zalomin (AIN) will also be making a return to competition looking to make his mark.

Competition format

Qualifications will be held in two stages: in the first stage, 24 gymnasts will qualify for the second stage (subject to a maximum of three gymnasts per federation); in the second qualification stage, the top eight gymnasts will qualify for the finals (subject to a maximum of two gymnasts per federation).

For the team competition, the best three exercises (one per gymnast) will be taken into account for the qualifications.