LONDON, Aug. 3, 2012 – Steven Gluckstein of Atlantic Highlands, N.J./Elite Trampoline Academy, finished 16th with a 61.020 at the 2012 Olympic Games at North Greenwich Arena in London. Trampoline continues tomorrow with the women’s competition that includes the USA’s Savannah Vinsant of Lafayette, La./Trampoline and Tumbling Express.
For his compulsory routine that included a two-and-a-half double-twisting somersault, Gluckstein scored a 48.855 and was in 12th place. During his optional routine, he had a problem and only completed two skills. He landed on the end of the trampoline and flipped onto the safety platform. He scored 12.165 and finished in 16th place.
"I’ve been working 12 years," said Gluckstein. "I was in shock and awe. When something that terrible happens to you, you can’t really grasp it. When I sat down, it registered. As bad as you wish you could get up there and do it again, unfortunately it’s sport and you can’t."
"Compulsory was really solid, but he didn’t really have a good warm-up in the back," said Gluckstein’s coach, Tatiana Kovaleva. "I think it got a little in his head. Even though I was trying to talk him out of it saying it doesn’t matter how you warm up, that it was all in his head. He made a small mistake at the end of his first skill, and that’s what happened."
The trampoline competition features one compulsory and one optional round for the preliminaries, with the top eight advancing to the finals, where one optional routine is performed.
Following women’s trampoline, men’s and women’s gymnastics takes center stage again with the individual event finals Aug. 5-7. The U.S. gymnasts competing in the individual event finals are: men’s floor exercise – Jake Dalton of Reno, Nev./University of Oklahoma; men’s vault – Sam Mikulak of Newport Coast, Calif./University of Michigan; horizontal bar – Danell Leyva of Miami/Team Hilton HHonors (Universal Gymnastics) and Jonathan Horton of Houston/Team Hilton HHonors (Cypress Gymnastics); women’s vault — McKayla Maroney of Long Beach, Calif./All Olympia Gymnastics Center; uneven bars – Gabby Douglas of Virginia Beach, Va./Chow’s Gymnastics; balance beam – Alexandra Raisman of Needham, Mass./Brestyan’s Gymnastics, and Douglas; and women’s floor exercise – Jordyn Wieber of DeWitt, Mich./Gedderts’ Twistars USA, and Raisman.
Men’s Trampoline Medalists
1. Dong Dong (CHN) – 62.990
2. Dmitry Ushakov (RUS) – 61.76
3. Lu Chunlong (CHN) – 61.319