Ron Pietroniro photo
Canadian Olympian Karen Cockburn keeps her eyes on the ground as she flips through the air at the National Indoor Stadium during the women's trampoline event. The Whitchurch-Stouffville resident finished in fourth place and will advance to the next round.
Olympics
August 16, 2008 09:39 AM
Friends will go for gold on Monday
Brad Kelly
A veteran and a rookie will carry Canada's hope for a medal into the women's trampoline final.
Karen Cockburn, performing in her third Olympic Games and newcomer Rosannagh MacLennan both qualified for Monday's final following today's preliminary routines at the National Indoor Stadium.
Cockburn bounced back from a sub-par compulsory routine where she sat 10th out of 16, with a strong freestyle to finish up fourth overall with a combined score of 65.60. MacLennan did one better, putting together two solid routines to finish third overall with a 66.00 score.
"My first routine went well and I was happy with it," said MacLennan, a King City resident who will turn 20 later this month. "It increased my confidence and helped me relax a little bit heading into the second routine."
The big smile she had on her face as she stepped off the trampoline following the initial routine was a combination of both relief and satisfaction.
"I was really happy with how it went and my coach (Dave Ross) was really happy. It's the first step to getting a good result," she said.
Cockburn took a more difficult route to book a spot in the final, having to overcome a lower score in that first round than she is accustomed to.
"My first routine was really rough and at one point I thought I was coming off the trampoline," admitted the 29-year-old Whitchurch-Stouffville resident. "At first when I saw my score I was really disappointed. I never score that low.
"I tried to refocus and say 'At least you stayed on the trampoline. At least you still have a chance here.'"
Some of that calm could be attributed to her veteran savvy, having won bronze at the Games in Sydney in 2000, and going one better with silver four years ago in Athens.
"I've come back from bad performances before, so I just tried to focus on that," she said. "I know my second routine is probably one of the strongest of anyone, so I knew I could make up a lot of ground."
The scores earned today were to determine the top eight to advance, with the slate wiped clean for the final. Monday it's a one routine, winner-take-all format for the medals.
The two are good friends and teammates with the Skyriders Trampoline Place in Richmond Hill. They compete together in synchronized trampoline on the international circuit, though that event is not offered at the Olympic Games.