It’s been nine years in the making, but Blake Gaudry’s dream of competing at the Olympic Games is now just a few months away. 19-year-old Gaudry has been jumping for less than a decade and is already one of the country’s best gymnasts in this discipline. He was the national champion for the last two years and hopes to hold his title this week.
It’s been nine years in the making, but Blake Gaudry’s dream of competing at the Olympic Games is now just a few months away.
Nineteen-year-old Gaudry is competing at the National Trampolining Championships this week in Adelaide where he is determined to secure his spot on the team for the 2011 World Championships and then hopefully a place at the Olympic Games.
Gaudry has been jumping for less than a decade and is already one of the country’s best gymnasts in this discipline. He was the national champion for the last two years and hopes to hold his title this week.
“I won both the individual and synchro events at the last two national championships,” he said. “It would be great to hold my title – this would be a huge confidence booster before the World Championships.”
Gaudry’s performance strategy is to have a high degree of difficulty in the first routine which is compulsory and a lesser degree of difficulty in the second, voluntary routine.
“The first routine is compulsory and only two skills count,” Gaudry said. “I will perform two triple somersaults totalling a degree of difficulty of 4.3 thus making it one of the highest degrees of difficulty in the world. My aim is to get it perfect so I have a very competitive first routine at the World Championships.
“My second routine, the voluntary routine, contains 10 skills all of which count to your final score. I have a total degree of difficulty of 16.2, which is not as high as my international competitors, but I am hoping I get the extra points in the compulsory routine.”
Gaudry grew up in the Hills Shire in Sydney and started trampolining in 2002. Four years later he was a member of the national team and in 2008 began competing at senior events. He now lives in Adelaide, training under the national coach Nikolay Zhuralev at the Adelaide Aquatic Centre.
“The new facilities at the Aquatic Centre are fantastic. It is our base for training, gym and recovery,” he said. “We train 20 to 22 hours a week, every day with the exception of Sunday.”
The Adelaide resident hopes training at the new facilities will assist his performance at the 2011 World Championships and his quest for a spot at the 2012 Olympic Games.
“The aim is to qualify for the Olympic Games by producing a top 10 performance at the World Championships,” Gaudry said.
“I finished 18th at last year’s World Championships, which was a career highlight. Although my goal is top 10, I would be happy with a similar result to last year as it
will give me a second chance to qualify for the Olympic Games at the Test Event in London next January.
Gaudry’s goal will be no easy task with the number one country in the world, China, likely to take out the top four places.
“China has always been strong,” Gaudry said. “Japan is another strong country, then there is Russia, the Ukraine team featuring the 2004 Olympic Champion and the Canadian team with the 2008 silver medallist.”
Gaudry has high expectations but is realistic about his goals.
“Hopefully I qualify for the Olympic Games and at best I would like to make the finals,” he said. “I hope to medal at the 2016 Games, that is a realistic goal.”
Frances Cordaro
Australian Olympic Committee
