Australian Youth Olympic Festival (AYOF) athlete Blake Gaudry placed 16th at the 2011 World Championships. This result secured Australia a place at the London Test Event where he then earned Australia a place at the Games by finishing in the top five.
In women's trampolining, 2007 AYOF silver medallist Aslin Styles made a strong transition into the senior ranks. Styles placed third in the synchro event at the 2010 Pacific Rim Championships with fellow AYOF competitor, Bethany Bailey. Bailey is a regular on the World Championship scene, having represented Australia at the World Championships in 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011. Unfortunately the women failed to secure a berth for the 2012 Games.
TRAMPOLINE FORMAT
Athletes must score the highest number of points for a routine which includes moves ranging from simple jumps in the pike, tuck or straddle positions to more difficult forward or backward somersaults and twists. The routine is marked out of 10 by five judges with deductions for incomplete moves, moving too far from the centre mark or poor form.
Each individual competition for men and women has two rounds - the qualification round and the final round. In the qualification round, athletes perform two routines with the eight best athletes advancing to the finals for one more routine, which determines the results of the competition.
QUALIFICATION AND SELECTION
The eight finalists at the Trampoline World Championships in Birmingham in November 2011 gained Olympic quota places for their countries- with a maximum of two athletes per nation.
Australia's highest placed athlete was Blake Gaudry who finished 16th. His efforts gave Australia a second chance to qualify at the Olympic Games Test Event in London from 12-13 January 2012. This event qualified gymnasts ranked 1 - 5 with a maximum of 1 per nation.
If the minimum continental representation of 1 quota place for men or women in 4 continents has not been reached after these two events, then the best ranked male and femal gymnast of the continent qualifies.
For all the Nomination and Selection documentation click here>>>
AUSTRALIAN OLYMPIC HISTORY
Australian gymnasts first competed in the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, but it was not until the Games returned to Australia in 2000 that our first medal finally arrived. Ji Wallace flipped and tumbled to a silver medal in trampoline which was making its debut at the 2000 Sydney Games.
To read more about Australia’s Olympic gymnastics history, click here>>>