A roadmap to follow for the trampoline gymnastics competition during the Paris Olympics:
Athletes to Watch
— Bryony Page, Britain: Page is aiming to upgrade to gold in Paris after winning a silver medal in Rio de Janeiro and a bronze in Tokyo. She has won two world championships since the last Olympics, highlighted by her victory over Olympic gold medalist Zhu Xueying in 2023.
— Zhu Xueying, China: She began competing at age 10 and became the first trampoline gymnast to win a gold medal at both the Olympics and the Youth Olympic Games after she won the youth event in 2014. The 26-year-old Zhu is bidding to join Canada’s Rosie MacLennan as the only trampolinists to successfully defend an Olympic title.
— Yan Langyu, China: He should contend for a medal after winning gold at the world championships in 2021 and ’23.
— Wang Zisai, China: Wang is another strong contender for Paris after winning silver at last year’s world titles.
Storylines to Follow
— Will China’s domination continue? Trampoline made its Olympic debut at the 2000 Sydney Games and since then China has won 14 of the 36 medals awarded in the men’s and women’s events.
— Ivan Litvinovich, who was the only Belarusian gold medalist in Tokyo, will compete in Paris under the Individual Neutral Athlete flag after being included among the 14 athletes the International Gymnastics Federation granted neutral status. To be eligible for neutral status, athletes and officials from Belarus and Russia must not have publicly supported the war in Ukraine or have ties to military and state security agencies.
Key Dates
Men’s and Women’s qualifications and finals will be held Aug. 2.
Reigning Champions
Men: Ivan Litvinovich.
Women: Zhu Xueying.
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AP Paris Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
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