Sport Trampolining
Age 23
Country China
What’s all the fuss about?
She is the Olympic and world champion after she added victory in last year’s World Championships at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham to gold in Beijing. Born in the coastal province of Fujian in southeast China, Wenna took up the discipline at the age of 10 and began competing internationally six years ago.
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Fair enough, but will she deliver in London?
She overcame huge pressure to win in front of a home crowd in 2008, but her form has been inconsistent. Wenna is No 16 in the world rankings and in January left a test event in tears after falling from the trampoline and suffering an ankle injury.
Where and when can we see her in action?
She will be competing in the first meeting of this year’s World Cup series, which begins in Taiyuan, China today.
And at the Games?
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Still a relative newcomer to the Olympics after making its debut in 2000, trampoline gymnastics takes place over two rounds, with 16 competitors whittled down to eight for the final. The women’s event takes place on August 4 at the North Greenwich Arena.
Who is she up against?
Her main rivals are Li Dan, a fellow Chinese, who won the 2010 World Championship in Metz, France, and Britain’s Kat Driscoll, the world No 1, who triumphed in last year’s World Cup series.
Words by Billy Kenber
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QUOTE
“I came out here not to prove anything to the world, I just wanted to tell myself: ‘I’ve still got it’”
Usain Bolt after running his fastest 100 metres of the year this week
UPDATE
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Williams gets the nod
British Fencing sought to draw a line under its controversial Olympic nomination process yesterday when the BOA announced five of the eight athletes selected for the Games.
Joanna Hutchison, Great Britain’s No 1 sabre fencer who was one of four competitors to appeal against the governing body’s decision not to nominate her to the BOA for a host-nation place, has not been selected.
Sophie Williams, 21, who is 35 places behind Hutchison in the world rankings and whose father is a sponsor of the sport, has been chosen. Louise Bond-Williams, who has been injured since March, and James Honeybone, Britain’s highest-ranked men’s sabre fencer, were also selected.
Britain’s fencing squad will consist of ten athletes once three more foil fencers for the team events are announced on June 12.
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Tindall fitness boost
James Tindall, the star striker for the Great Britain men’s hockey team who was ruled out of the Sultan Azlan Shah tournament in Ipoh, Malaysia, with an ankle injury, believes that he will be fit for the London Olympics. Tindall, 29, heard a crack and felt pain instantly during the game against India this week but has thrown away his crutches and begun extensive rehabilitation in the swimming pool.
THE WEEK AHEAD
Athletics
Today: Samsung Diamond League, Eugene, Oregon, United States.
June 5-6: Oceania Combined Events, Townsville, Australia.
June 7: Samsung Diamond League, Oslo, Norway.
Cycling: Mountain bike
Today-tomorrow: World Cup, Val di Sole, Italy.
Equestrianism
Today-tomorrow: FEI Nations Cup, St Gallen, Switzerland.
Gymnastics: Trampoline
Today: North West Gala, Liverpool.
Hockey
Today-tomorrow: Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, Malaysia.
Tennis
Today-June 10: French Open, Paris.
Water polo
Today-tomorrow: Women’s World League finals, China.