Trampoline team hit by injuries before World Championships
Canada’s trampoline team has lost two women to injury, including three-time Olympic medallist Karen Cockburn.
The four-time Olympian broke her ankle while training for the Daytona Beach competition. The 2014 version, set to begin on Friday, would have been the 33-year-old’s first world championships since 2011 after returning to trampoline last May.
“Karen was doing her optional routine and came down off the trampoline bed and with both feet on the frame pad,” said Canadian team manager Eran Silberg on the Gymnastics Canada website.
Karen Cockburn, shown here receiving her silver medal at Beijing 2008, returned to trampoline this season after a two-year break.
Cockburn flew home on Thursday morning hoping to have surgery before the end of the week. Originally a women’s team of four, Aurora, ON’s Samantha Sendel pulled out of the individual event due to dizziness in training. According to Gymnastics Canada, Sendel suffered a concussion a few weeks back. She was fifth individually at last year’s Worlds and her status is to be determined for synchro on Sunday. That leaves London 2012 gold medallist and defending world champion Rosie MacLennan and Richmond Hill, ON’s Samantha Smith as the only two entries for individual trampoline.
Rosie MacLennan, pictured as London’s Olympic gold medallist, will get a chance to defend her 2013 trampoline world title this week.
The men’s trampoline team consists of Red Deer brothers Keegan and Kyle Soehn, plus Montreal’s Sebastien St-Germain. 2008 Olympic silver medallist Jason Burnett is currently recovering from knee surgery.
There is also double mini-trampoline and tumbling (non-Olympic events) in Daytona Beach, events including many Canadians. Here is a full team list. The 2014 World Trampoline Gymnastics Championships runs until Sunday.
If you’ve never seen some of these events they are admittedly pretty intense, and it’s not surprising there are so many injuries:
This is individual trampoline:
And now two athletes at a time:
Why not two trampolines at once?
This is actually called “tumbling”, which is a massive understatement…
This is tumbling…
