QUEBEC CITY, Quebec, April 6, 2007 – Four U.S. tumblers advanced to the finals of the Trampoline and Tumbling World Cup in Quebec City, Quebec: Kalon Ludvigson of Cedar Lake, Ind., and Chris Adair of Lubbock, Texas, in men’s tumbling, and Susannah Johnson of Roanoke, Va., and Yuliya Hall of Idaho Falls, Idaho, in women’s tumbling. Ludvigson and Johnson, both of whom won bronze medals at last weekend’s World Cup in Lake Placid, N.Y., were the highest U.S. finishers in the preliminary round.

In men’s tumbling, Jozef Wadecki of Poland had the prelim’s highest score at 72.90, a half a point better than China’s Wang Jiexu, who finished second. Ludvigson was fifth with a 70.30, while Adair claimed the eighth and final qualifying spot with a 68.60.

Great Britain’s Sarah Turner was the top scorer in women’s tumbling’s prelims with a 65.30, just one-tenth of a point ahead of Russia’s Alina Yarullova. Johnson’s 63.90 and Hall’s 62.90 placed them fourth and sixth, respectively.

In the Olympic discipline of trampoline, Lu Chunlong and 2004 Olympic bronze-medalist Huang Shanshan, both of China, placed first for the men and women, respectively, with scores of 70.40 and 66.40. 2006 U.S. trampoline and synchronized trampoline champion Erin Blanchard was the highest U.S. finisher in 10th with a score of 63.20. Ryan Weston of Chubbuck, Idaho, led the USA in men’s trampoline in 22nd at 65.70.

Saturday’s World Cup competition features eight men and eight women in the final round in the individual events with a limit of two athletes per country, and eight teams in synchronized trampoline with a limit of one team per country. The qualification round for synchronized trampoline is tomorrow at 11:30 a.m., and finals for all events begin at 2:30 p.m.

A double mini-trampoline competition is being held in conjunction with the World Cup in Quebec City. Four U.S. athletes advanced to the final round: Josh Vance of Rockford, Mich., and Ludvigson, for the men, and Kaci Barry of San Diego, Calif., and Aubree Balkan of Carlsbad, Calif., for the women. All seven U.S. athletes competing in double mini-trampoline finished in the top eight in their respective events, but competition rules state that no more than two athletes per country can compete in the final round. The other U.S. athletes were: Stephen Raymond of Grand Rapids, Mich., and Derek Stangel of Rockford, Iowa, for the men, and Alaina Williams of Amarillo, Texas, for the women.

Also competing for the United States in the World Cup, but not advancing to the final round in the individual events, were: Amy McDonald of Cedar Lake, Ind., and Leanne Seitzinger of Stafford, Va., women’s tumbling; Amanda Bailey of Sundown, Texas, and Brittany Dircks of Orland Park, Ill., women’s trampoline; Logan Dooley of Lake Forest, Calif., Chris Estrada of Lafayette, La., and Steven Gluckstein of Atlantic Highlands, N.J., men’s trampoline.

For complete competition results, visit http://www.quebecttworlds2007.ca/index.php?module=CMS&id=2.