The junior men’s trampoline gymnastics team from Tasmania has been crowned Scalabis Cup Champions in the team event in Portugal.
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Nine trampoline gymnasts from Launceston PCYC and Kingborough Gymnastics Club are in Santarem contesting the sixth edition of the Scalabis Cup.
The competition has attracted trampoline gymnasts from 16 countries including Portugal, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Great Britain, Greece, Kazakhstan, Namibia, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, USA and Australia.
The junior men’s trampoline team compromising of Dylan Hill, of Launceston, and Kingborough’s Matthew French, Eddy Rand and Patrick Schluter displayed a set of eight confident and consistent routines (two each) to narrowly defeat the host Portuguese team for the title of Scalabis Cup champions.
State coach Ben Kelly said he was proud of the way the team performed.
“Despite not necessarily having the highest degree of difficulty, the four Tasmanian gymnasts stepped it up a notch to display well prepared and confident routines to prevail with the championships title,” Kelly said.
The Tasmanian gymnasts stepped it up a notch to display well prepared and confident routines
- State coach Ben Kelly
The team managed to defeat teams from Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and Kazakhstan.
Kingborough gymnast Matthew French will also take part in the final of the junior men’s individual trampoline.
Despite this being French’s first international trampoline final, Kelly is expecting a solid performance against gymnasts from Great Britain, Portugal, Switzerland, Kazakhstan, Spain and Austria.
The competition is part of a training and development tour organised by Kingborough and Launceston to provide international experience and exposure to their gymnasts and coaches.
Portugal is one of the strongest nations in the world having won numerous world championship titles in double-mini as well as being well represented at the Olympic Games and world championship level for individual trampoline.
The team of nine will take part in a short training camp after the competition with the local Portuguese team and trampoline gymnasts from Spain and Finland, before heading east to Belgium for a second training camp with Olympic hopeful Loic Lenoir.