Cockburn earns Olympic nod in trampoline

Toronto's Karen Cockburn won the gold medal in the women's trampoline event at a World Cup competition in Publier, France on Saturday — earning a third Olympic team nomination in the process.

Jason Burnett of Toronto also earned his nomination to the Beijing Summer Games in the men's trampoline event.

Cockburn, a two-time Olympic medallist, posted a score of 39.0 points for her performance, besting China's Shanshan Huang (38.60) and Britain's Claire Wright (37.2).

"It's nice to have the Olympic spot locked up and not have to worry about it anymore," said Cockburn, who won Olympic bronze in 2000 and silver in 2004. "I was really pleased with my win today, I had a great routine. It felt amazing to be on top of the podium and hear the national anthem. It was a really great day for me."

Toronto's Rosannagh MacLennan increased the difficulty of her final routine in an effort to earn an Olympic berth and was narrowly edged out of a podium finish with a score of 37.1 points  to finish fourth.

On the men's side, Burnett had already assured his participation in Beijing by making the eight-man final. But after finishing eighth on Saturday, he knows he's got more work to do before the Olympics.

"The prelims went really well and I had a good compulsory score," said Burnett.  "I'm still working on a new start to my optional routine and I don't have the hang of it yet. And that was the cause of my downfall in the final today. But I know what I need to work on and I know I'll feel comfortable going into Beijing."

In the tumbling event at the competition, Emily Smith of Burlington, Ont., finished sixth.