APB boxers David Graf (GER) and Anton Pinchuk (KAZ) will face each other on the undercard of one of the most awaited bouts of this year, the Wladimir Klitschko vs Tyson Fury event on the 28th of November in Dusseldorf, Germany. This event will mark the beginning of a new era and a natural step forward in the expansion of AIBA boxing initiated by President CK Wu since the beginning of his Presidency in 2006.
“We are very pleased with the results of the first year which crowned APB champions across the globe in 10 weight categories. This is a unique opportunity for both boxers to compete in front of more than 40,000 fans in Germany, which participates in our vision for APB development in the future” said AIBA President CK WU.
Heavyweight Graf, won both his APB bouts against tough Argentinian Yamil Peralta and Bulgaria’s Olympic Medalist Tervel Pulev. He will be hoping to extend that record to 3-0, while his opponent Pinchuk has already won 5 bouts in APB, only loosing to double World Champion Clemente Russo. Both boxers boast a similar style in the ring, but Pinchuk will be hoping that his greater big-match experience – including winning Gold at last year’s Asian Games – will help overcome Graf’s mental advantage from what will undoubtedly be a highly vocal and partisan crowd in Dusseldorf.
For gymnasts specialising in Synchronised Trampoline, Double-mini Trampoline or Tumbling, this week’s Trampoline Gymnastics World Championships in Odense (DEN) is about more than medals. In addition to World titles, qualification places for The World Games 2017 in Wroclaw (POL), the “Olympics for non-Olympic disciplines,” are up in the air.
Synchronised Trampoline
Synchronised Trampoline is double the fun — and double the risk — of its Olympic cousin Individual Trampoline. In Synchro, two gymnasts perform the same series of 10 elements while trying to remain mirror images of each other.
What makes the difference: When one gymnast falls out of sync with the other, regaining the rhythm is extremely difficult. “You have to feel each other,” says former World Synchro champion Dmitri Poliaroush, a member of the FIG Trampoline Technical Committee. “And that means knowing the other person’s weaknesses as well as strengths, and being able to modify yourself to stay at the same pace.
Who to watch: China’s Trampoline dynasty extends into the realm of Synchro. Many of the country’s best individual Trampolinists, including reigning Olympic champion Dong Dong and reigning World champion Tu Xiao, team up to form some of the world’s best Synchro pairs. While Dong and Tu have won three of the past four Synchro world titles and are favored to win another in Odense, in Women’s Synchro there will be at least one new World champion, as 2014 World gold medallists Liu Lingling and Li Meng are not jumping together this year.
Double-mini Trampoline
Double-mini gymnasts have to master two elements: A mount of where the gymnast approaches the Double-mini Trampoline at a run and then performs an acrobatic element, usually one or more flips, often with twists. Without stopping their momentum, the gymnast uses the Trampoline to rebound and perform a dismount — another flipping and twisting sequence — onto a landing mat. Gymnasts who don’t land inside the red square in the center of the landing mat lose between 0.3-0.5 points.
What makes the difference: The top gymnasts will perform triple or even quadruple somersaults as part of their mount or dismount, says Horst Kunze, President of the FIG Trampoline Technical Committee. Remaining centered and sticking the dismount are also paramount in Double-mini.
Who to watch: No one has been able to touch Russia’s Mikhail Zalomin at the World Championships for the past two years, mainly due to his capacity for twisting like a top and landing like a dart. In the women’s competition, the United States boasts the past two World champions in Erin Jauch (2014) and Kristle Lowell (2013).
All about Tumbling, Double Mini-trampoline and Synchronised Trampoline Gymnastics
Tumbling
Fast-paced and dynamic, Tumbling offers some of Trampoline Gymnastics’ most suspenseful moments. Gymnasts streak down the Tumbling floor, flying through single and double salto elements before their launching into their dismount, usually a grand finale of flips and twists. Tumblers perform two runs, one based on flipping elements, the other emphasizing twisting.
What makes the difference: This discipline, which was part of the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 1932, offers a breathtaking spectacle that resounds in the area like the discharge of a machine gun. Tumbling is all about building momentum leading to the dismount, the hardest and most valuable element in a routine. “If you get a bit complacent, the minor errors can creep in and that’s what can lead to a stopped run,” says Kristof Willerton, the 2013 World Men’s Tumbling champion. The best in the world will perform elements with both flips and twists at the beginning, middle and especially at the end of their routines. The triple-twisting double layout and full-twisting triple somersault dismounts are among the hardest tumbling elements performed today.
Who to watch: Two-time Men’s World Tumbling champion Yang Song (CHN) is expected to fight for a third title against an international coterie of challengers, including Willerton, Dzmitry Darashuk (BLR), Tagir Murtazaev (RUS) and local favorite Anders Wesch (DEN). After an uncharacteristic mistake kept her off the podium at the 2014 Worlds, Chinese superstar Jia Fangfang will be out to prove herself again on the world stage. Same goes for Anna Korobeinikova (RUS), who dominated World competition from 2005 to 2010 and is making a comeback after becoming a mom.
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