You get two routines to make a point in Trampoline qualification, but the Japanese duo of Mori Hikaru and Matsumoto Yusei only needed one to grab the lead as Mixed Synchronised Trampoline debuted Wednesday at the World Championships in Pamplona, Spain.
The new discipline delivered thrills and a few spills in a kind of sneak preview of what’s in store this week at the Navarra Arena. Sixteen new world champions will be crowned in individual and team competition across the four categories of Trampoline Gymnastics over the next four days.
Already a six-time world champion, Mori led the way during her routine with 18-year-old Matsumoto, her experience seeming to guide both of them through the complex sequence of flips and twists. The Japanese had the joint-highest difficulty score with 14.700 and also a near perfect 9.7 out of a possible 10 for horizontal displacement, which measures how close to the centre of the trampoline each athlete remains during the exercise.
It added up to 51.990 points in all, more than half a point above Katsiaryna Yarshova and Stanislau Yaskevich (AIN), who finished with 51.370 and stayed in the air longer than any other couple. Not far behind them were Iana Lebedeva and two-time Olympic champion Ivan Litvinovich (AIN), who earned 51.100 for their second routine.
Paris 2024 gold medallist Bryony Page and Zak Perzamanos of Great Britain, were in fourth. They equalled the Japanese in difficulty but were unable to match them in the other judging criteria. The top 16 move on to Friday’s semifinal, which will determine a final eight.
Navigating a new category
Thirty-one pairs representing 18 nations took part in Mixed Synchronised qualification. As with any new event, it was a journey of discovery as pairs sussed out what works and what doesn’t. Five among the top ten Wednesday opted not to tire themselves out by attempting a second routine, preferring to save their energy for events to come.
And like any good partnership, Mixed Synchronised Trampoline demands compromise from both parties.
“I think it’s more complicated for him,” said Spain’s Erica Sanz, who jumped with Nicolas Toribio in the preliminary. “I have to jump a little higher than normal, but he has to go down a lot.”
Paris Olympian Seljan Mahsudova of Azerbaijan began the season jumping with a different partner but ultimately felt more comfortable partnering with her younger brother Magsud Mahsudov, a strong up-and-comer on the Azerbaijani team. They finished ninth and easily qualified to the semifinal.
Did the older sister proffer any advice to her brother in his first World Championship? “He doesn’t need my advice,” Mahsudova said. “He is better than I am!”
