Former Matahui School student Dylan Schmidt has won New Zealand’s first Olympic medal in trampoline gymnastics at the weekend – a bronze in Tokyo coming after a dramatic final in which several athletes struggled to finish their routines.
The 24 year old qualified third for the final behind Belarusian Uladzilsau Hancharou, the reigning Olympic champion, and his countryman 20 year old Ian Litvinovich and Schmidt was in the silver medal position until Litvinovich overtook leader Dong Dong from China and Schmidt for the gold medal.
Dong, 32, the gold medalist in London in 2012 and a veteran competing in his fourth and final Olympics, had looked a shoo-in for gold until Litvinovich, who qualified first and therefore jumped last, snatched it from him with a score of 61.715. Dong recorded 61.235 and Schmidt 0.675. – NZ Herald/Katikati Advertisers 5 August 2021.
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