Three medals for Canada at world trampoline and tumbling championships

ST. PETERSBURG , Russia , Nov. 14 /CNW/ - Karen Cockburn of Toronto led a Canadian medal rush on the final day of competition Saturday at the world trampoline and tumbling championships in St. Petersburg , Russia .

Cockburn, 29, competing at her eighth world championships, took the bronze medal in the women's individual trampoline competition, a result equalled by teammates Ashley Speed , also of Toronto in women's tumbling and Corissa Boychuk of Airdre, Alta., in double-mini trampoline.

The Canadian women's team won a total of seven medals at the week-long competition, equalling its showing at the last world championships two years ago in Quebec City.

Cockburn's polished performance reaffirmed her status as one of the sport's all-time greats in her first international competition in women's individual trampoline since winning a silver medal at the Beijing Olympics over a year ago.

"I didn't train or compete much all year so I wasn't expecting such a great result," said Cockburn, who elected to perform a slightly easier routine than the one she used in Beijing .

"Instead of going for higher difficulty I focused on form and doing a nice clean routine and it paid off here."

Cockburn earned her bronze medal with a score of 38.70 points behind China's Shanshan Huang who took the gold with 39.50 and runner-up Wenna He at 39.40.

Rosannagh MacLennan of Toronto , performed the most difficult routine of the women's final, but didn't score as high marks for execution and had to settle for fourth with 38.40 points.

Cockburn, who hasn't committed to pursuing a record-setting fourth straight medal at the 2012 Olympics, said she's looking forward to going home and working on new skills.

"I had a great time here this week. I've got my motivation back again and I'm excited to at least train into next year and see how that goes."

In women's tumbling, Ashley Speed saved her most difficult moves for the second of two passes and came away with a surprise bronze medal.

Anna Korobeynikova of Russia took the gold with 69.40 points.

"I'm completely shocked," said Speed, who scored 62.80 points.

"I didn't expect to win a medal."

In women's double-mini trampoline, Corissa Boychuk of Airdrie, Alta., bounced back from an off-target landing on her first pass to edge American Aubree Balkan by one-hundredth of a point for the bronze medal with a score of 67.10 points.

Victoria Voronina of Russia took the gold with 68.30 points

"I was very nervous for my first pass but on the second I was really excited and knew exactly what I needed to do," said Boychuk, who won her first Canadian double-mini title last June.

Julie Warnock of Calgary , coming back from a torn achilles tendon, was 5th with 65.8 points.

In men's double-mini trampoline, Alex Seifert of Calgary placed 7th, and in men's synchro trampoline Jason Burnett of Toronto and Charles Thibault of Quebec City were fifth.

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