(Fri. Dec. 3, Kyodo)
Trampoline: Kawanishi, Nakata pair win Trampoline World Cup Final
The Japanese pair of Takayuki Kawanishi and Daisuke Nakata collected 49.90 points and pulled off a stunning victory in the men's synchro Thursday at the Trampoline World Cup Final in Algiers.
According to the Japan Trampoline Association, Kawanishi and Nakata, whose best performance on the World Cup circuit had been a third-place finish in September 2003, are the first Japanese gymnasts to win any discipline in the biennial international event.
The event, sanctioned by the International Gymnastics Federation, features the top six gymnasts of the world rankings plus two wild cards. It is the second major FIG event to be held in the African continent after the 1999 world championships in Sun City.
The 30-year-old Nakata, who took part in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, fractured his right shoulder and injured his neck as a victim of a hit-and-run accident in May.
It pays to bounce. LOL