Trampoline: Belarussian Hancharou wins men's gold
RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Belarussian Uladzislau Hancharou upstaged world champion Gao Lei and 2012 Olympic gold medallist Dong Dong to soar to victory in trampoline gymnastics at the Rio Games on Saturday.
Hancharou performed four high-flying triple somersaults to become the first gymnast from his country to win a trampoline medal with a score of 61.745. It was also Belarus' second gold of these Games.
A gracious Dong sportingly gave Hancharou's performance the thumbs up when he realized he had been overtaken at the top of the standings by a man who had never before won a global meet.
Half of Dong's voluntary routine consisted of triple somersaulting moves, which added up to 25 somersaults packed into 10 skills.
Although Dong's bid to win back-to-back Olympic golds ended with a second-place finish (60.535), the 27-year-old did become the first man to win trampoline medals at three different Games.
Gao had high hopes of succeeding Dong as champion as he had drawn the top score in qualifying.
However, Hancharou's score had piled on the pressure and the 24-year-old broke his lines and appeared to lose control slightly as struggled to land on the big red cross target while showcasing his 10 elements.
(Writing by Pritha Sarkar, Editing by Alison Williams and Meredith Mazzilli)
© Copyright Reuters Ltd. All rights reserved. The information contained in this news report may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of Reuters Ltd.
