Canada’s trampoline golden girl Rosie MacLennan won silver at the World Trampoline Gymnastics Championships in Daytona Beach, Florida on Saturday night.
MacLennan gave a strong performance earning a total score of for 103.600 points, but could not overcome China’s Liu Lingling to defend her title as world champion. Liu won the gold with a score of 103.925 while Zhong Xingping, also from China, took the bronze with a score of 102.300. Canadian Samantha Smith qualified for her first-ever individual final and finished 8th.
MacLennan competed a risky routine with a high degree of difficulty, landing three triple somersaults for the first time in competition.
“I was really excited to get out there and do three triples in my routine for the first time,” says MacLennan in an interview with Gymnastics Canada. “Obviously it would have been nice to defend the title, but I’m really happy with how things went this week.”
The Canadian trampoline team wasn’t at full strength entering the competition in Daytona this week after a string of injuries forced three team members to withdraw from the meet.
Three-time Olympic medal winner Karen Cockburn broke her ankle in a training session just days before the competition while Samantha Sendel “withdrew because of dizziness following a recent concussion,” according to Gymnastics Canada. Olympic silver medalist Jason Burnett is recovering from knee surgery.
Canadians in other disciplines at the championship also had success. Jon Schwaiger of Burlington, Ont. Flipped his way to a sixth-place finish in the men’s double mini trampoline final.
Tamara O’Brien of Vancouver, B.C. was the only Canadian to reach the final of the women’s double mini trampoline final and competes in the final on Sunday. She is currently in fifth place.