U.S. Women’s Double Mini Team: Tristan Van Natta, Lacey Jenkins, Shelby Nabuhara, Trinity Van Natta
© Filippo Tomasi

BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 18, 2021 – Nine U.S. athletes advanced from the qualification round in men’s and women’s trampoline, women’s tumbling, and men’s and women’s double mini trampoline on the first day of the 2021 Trampoline Gymnastics World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Americans Maia Amano of Honolulu, Hawaii/Merino Trampoline Gymnastics Academy, Cody Gesuelli of Hunstville, Ala./Merino Trampoline Gymnastics Academy, Isaac Rowley of Allen, Texas/Eagle Gymnastics Academy and Jessica Stevens of Ellicott City, Md./Fairland Gymnastics will compete in the individual trampoline semifinals on Saturday. Stevens posted the 14th-highest score of the day with a 100.910, while Amano qualified in 23rd with a 98.915. The Russian Gymnastics Federation’s Iana Lebedeva topped the women’s field with a 104.785.

On the men’s side, Rowley (106.635) and Gesuelli (106.605) qualified in 21st and 22nd, respectively, behind Ivan Litvinovich of Belarus who led all scorers with a 114.455. Zach Ramacci of St. John, Ind./TwistStars Tumbling and Trampoline (100.955) and Elijah Vogel of Longmont, Colo./Elevated Trampoline Sports Academy (72.005) were also in action.

As a team, the U.S. just missed qualifying for tomorrow’s men’s final, finishing in sixth with a 316.475. Due to withdrawals, the U.S. women were not eligible to compete in the team competition.

Tia Taylor of Knoxville, Tenn./Premier Athletics Knoxville will be the lone U.S. representative in Saturday’s women’s individual tumbling final. Taylor notched a 65.000 to clinch the fourth position in qualifying. France’s Candy Briere-Vetillard set the bar with a 67.400. The U.S. team consisting of Taylor, Savanna Cecil of Crossville, Tenn./Premier Athletics Knoxville (61.700), Sarah Thompson of Davis, Ill./J and J Tumbling and Trampoline (57.200) and Miah Bruns of Crete, Ill./World Champions Centre (52.500) also advanced, claiming the fifth and final qualifying spot for tomorrow’s team final with a combined 186.200.

World silver medalists Ruben Padilla of Bluffdale, Utah/Wasatch Trampoline & Tumbling (75.700) and Alex Renkert of Columbus, Ohio/Integrity Athletics (74.100) both secured spots in Saturday’s men’s double mini trampoline final, posting the fourth- and seventh-highest scores of the day, respectively. Changa Anderson of Washington, D.C./Silver Stars Gymnastics (74.100) and Tomas Minc of Chevy Chase, Md./Dynamite Gymnastics (73.600) also finished in the top-ten but did not advance to the individual final due to the two-athletes-per-country limit. As a group, the U.S. men qualified to tomorrow’s double mini trampoline team final in second place with a 224.600 behind the Russian Gymnastics Federation, which led the way with a 232.200. RGF was bolstered by a pair of 77.500s from Makarskii Vasilii and Mikhail Zalomin who topped individual the scoring table.

Tristan Van Natta of Westerville, Ohio/Integrity Athletics and Shelby Nobuhara of Mapleton, Utah/High Altitude also punched their tickets to the double mini trampoline finals. Van Natta qualified in the third spot with a 69.500, while Nobuhara was fourth with a 68.600. Spain’s Melania Rodriguez posted the day’s high score with a 70.700. The U.S. team, which also featured Lacey Jenkins of Mattoon, Ill./Integrity Athletics (64.700) and Trinity Van Natta of Westerville, Ohio/Integrity Athletics (67.800), will compete for the team title tomorrow. They qualified in the second position, finishing less than a point behind the Russian Gymnastics Federation who claimed the top spot with a 206.800. The women’s individual double mini trampoline final is set for Sunday.

Qualifications continue Friday with men’s tumbling and men’s and women’s synchronized trampoline. The women’s tumbling, men’s double mini trampoline, women’s double mini trampoline, men’s tumbling, women’s trampoline and men’s trampoline team finals will also be held Friday in that order beginning at 5 p.m. local time. Baku is nine hours ahead of U.S. eastern time.