Sports
13:28, 11-Nov-2018
Gao Lei defends gold medal at world trampoline championships individual
Updated
12:35, 14-Nov-2018
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In St. Petersburg, China ended the Trampoline World Championships on a high note, with Gao Lei and Dong Dong completing a one-two finish in the men's individual.
Their result helped China's team come first in the medal table after bagging three golds, two silvers, and one bronze in total.
On Saturday, Dong was the second to last to compete. The 2012 Olympic gold medalist finished with 61.185 points, the highest score at that point in time, which assured China of the first position because Gao was the only one left to bounce in the event.
China's Gao Lei performs during the 33rd FIG Trampoline Gymnastics World Championships in St. Petersburg, Russia, November 10, 2018. /VCG Photo
China's Gao Lei performs during the 33rd FIG Trampoline Gymnastics World Championships in St. Petersburg, Russia, November 10, 2018. /VCG Photo
The 26-year-old Gao, who won individual trampoline bronze medal in Rio in 2016 and the world championship title last year, went one better with an airtime score of 18.255, which was well above anyone else, earning a total score of 62.255 points.
Finally, Dong took the silver, and Russia's Andrey Yudin claimed bronze
After his emphatic gold-winning triumph, Gao said: “We can see that the competition in the men's individual final was very intense. I felt great pressure when I came out last, because all the competitors before me performed really well. But in the end, I managed to keep my cool and deliver my best, to earn a well-deserved gold.”
China's Zhu Xueying performs during the 33rd FIG Trampoline Gymnastics World Championships in St. Petersburg, Russia, November 8, 2018. /VCG Photo
China's Zhu Xueying performs during the 33rd FIG Trampoline Gymnastics World Championships in St. Petersburg, Russia, November 8, 2018. /VCG Photo
Meanwhile, on the women's side, 2014 Youth Olympics champion Zhu Xueying settled for a silver in the final with a score of 57.080, an agonizing 0.1 points behind two-time Olympic champion Rosie MacLennan from Canada. Yana Pavlova of Russia took bronze.
In the men's tumbling final, defending world champion Zhang Kuo of China won bronze. Russia's Vadim Afanasev was crowned champion with two incredible passes earning 79.200 points. Elliott Browne of Britain bagged the silver.
(Cover: Dong Dong (L) and Gao Lei (R) show their trampoline individual silver and gold medals of the 2018 World Trampoline Gymnastics Championships, St. Petersburg, Russia, November 10, 2018. /VCG Photo)