© Grace Chiu

ODENSE, Denmark, Nov. 29, 2015 – Erin Jauch of Crystal Lake, Ill./Fox Valley Tumbling and Trampoline, successfully defended her double mini-trampoline World title today at the 2015 World Trampoline and Tumbling Championships, held at the Stadium Arena Fyn in Odense, Denmark. In addition, the U.S. qualified in men’s and women’s trampoline for the Olympic Test Event, which is the second opportunity to qualify to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Team USA’s performances in synchronized trampoline, double-mini trampoline and tumbling earned berths to the 2017 World Games.

In the women’s double-mini final, Jauch scored a 35.400 for her first pass, which included a pike double front half-out to a layout full-full. She stuck her second pass, a piked Rudi out to layout full-in, for a 35.700 and a 71.100 total. Jauch won her second straight World title on the event, followed by Great Britain’s Jasmin Short (69.800) and Sweden’s Lina Sjoeberg (67.900). Tristan Van Natta of Pendleton, Ind./Integrity, began with a tucked full-in, half-out to a layout full-out for a 33.600. She posted a 34.200 for her double pike half-out to half-in, half-out pike. Her total score was 67.800, which put her fourth, just .100 from the podium.

Austin Nacey of Braidwood, Ill./TwistStars Tumbling and Trampoline, was first to go in the men’s tumbling final and opened with two double layouts through to a double pike for a 35.200. In his second run, he tumbled a layout full-full to a tucked full-full and scored 34.400. Nacey finished with a 69.600 and eighth place. Yang Song of China took the gold medal with a 79.100, followed by Russia’s Timofei Podust (78.300) and China’s Zhang Kuo (77.000) in second and third, respectively.

Jeffrey Gluckstein of Atlantic Highlands, N.J./Elite Trampoline Academy, opened with a full-twisting, piked Triffus to a piked double front with a half twist in the men’s trampoline semifinal. He then executed four triple flipping elements in a row. He closed his routine with a Miller straight for a 57.690. Gluckstein finished 11th place. Aliaksei Shostak of Lafayette, La./Trampoline and Tumbling Express, interrupted his routine after opening with three triples and scored 11.980. The men’s medalists were: Gao Lei, China, 62.245, gold; Uladzislau Hancharou, Belarus, 61.740, silver; and Andrey Yudin, Russia, 61.705, bronze.

In the women’s trampoline semifinal, Charlotte Drury of Laguna Niguel, Calif./World Elite Gymnastics, was clean and controlled throughout all 10 skills of her routine, which included a piked Triffus and a layout full-full. She scored 53.730 and finished 11th place.