Power duo, Cockburn and MacLennan, reel in both Olympic trampoline berths for Canada -
World Trampoline and Tumbling Championships
The FIG World Trampoline and Tumbling Championships saw Canada optimally securing both of its allowable berths for the 2012 London Olympic Games, all thanks to Olympic medallist Karen Cockburn and Rossanagh MacLennan.
The trampoline Olympic qualifiers were staged in Birmingham, England, this November.
For Cockburn, the Pan American Games this year, held at Guadalajara, served as a warm-up for the Olympic qualifiers at Birmingham.
At 31, Cockburn is aware of her Olympic clock ticking, making the coveted spots in the London 2012 all the more important.
The London Olympics will not only be probably her last shot at an Olympic win, but also a chance for her to obtain her fourth consecutive Olympic medal.
Cockburn earned her Olympic bronze in trampoline in 2000, followed by an acceleration to an Olympic silver in 2004, and another silver medal in the 2008 Olympics, staged in Beijing.
Following the achievement, Cockburn was ecstatic for both, herself and MacLennan, and confidently accredited the win to their dedicated effort.
“We have been working together all year long, helping each other, pushing each other and for both of us to come here, do our routines and qualify together is just amazing,” Cockburn said.
Cockburn finished fourth among the top eight on Thursday at the Olympic qualifiers in Birmingham, with a score of 101.990 points. Her 0.4 points’ lead over China’s Zhong Xingping barred the strong rival nation, China, from a women’s clean sweep.
MacLennan, on the other hand, came in seventh with her 100.125 points, pulling in the second of the two spots allowed to every country, for Canada.
The Torontonian gymnast is the Canadian National Women’s Championships titleholder for 2005, 2009 and 2011.
This is not the first time the 23-year-old MacLennan has brought her country a place in the Olympics, she did the same in the 2007 Worlds in Quebec.
Both star trampolinists have trained under David Ross at the Skyrider’s Trampoline Plane in Richmond Hill, Ontario.
The duo came together for an exemplary pairing in 2006 in synchronised trampoline. They have successfully stamped their names across the international trampoline scene, having won eight World Cup events in a row.
The duo also holds the world record in trampoline exercise difficulty scores (DD 14.20) since April of 2007. This record was set at the Lake Placid Trampoline World Cup.
Their confidence in their abilities is backed by their accolade-studded journey through the years.
“Obviously there was a lot of pressure coming into this meet. It is pretty much a one-shot deal if you want to have two people going into the Olympics but both Karen and I were very well prepared,” MacLennan said.
Cockburn and MacLennan were the only two gymnasts who were able to secure places for Canada in the upcoming London Olympics, as none of the male Canadian athletes succeeded to make it in the top eight.
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