Recently crowned world champions Irina Karavaeva (RUS) and Ye Shuai (CHN) will try to bounce one step closer to Olympic glory at the trampoline competition that begins 30 November.

Among the entrants are seven of the top eight finishers in both the women's and men's final of the World Championships that took place less than a month ago in Quebec.

The 32-year-old Karavaeva comes to Beijing as the most decorated female competitor. She has won five world individual titles, and because the first female trampoline champion in Olympic history when she placed first at she 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.

Should Karavaeva compete at next summer's Beijing Olympic Games, she will look to avenge her performance at the 2004 Athens Games. In Athens, Karavaeva faltered in the qualifications round and did not make the final.

Karavaeva's winning performance at the world championships a few weeks ago shows that she is again a top Olympic contender.

2004 Olympic champion Anna Dogonadze (GER) is one competitor expected to challenge Karavaeva for top honors here. The 34-year-old Dogonadze won the bronze medal at the 2005 World Championships, and placed fifth at the 2007 World Championships. Like Karavaeva, she is a veteran of two Olympic Games.

Huang Shanshan (CHN), the 2004 Olympic bronze medalist, could be Karavaeva's most serious threat for top honors at the tournament.

The 21-year-old Huang finished second to Karavaeva at the 2007 World Championships, two positions higher than fast-rising teammate He Wenna. At age 18, Wenna is the second-youngest female competitor here.

After winning the silver medal at the recent World Championships that her country hosted, 19-year-old Rosannagh Maclennan (CAN) enters the tournament with newfound clout and confidence.

China could well dominate the men's competition here. At the recent World Championships, Chinese athletes Ye Shuai and Dong Dong won the gold and silver medal, respectively.

Their teammate, Lu Chunlong, was fourth in the qualifications, but could not advance to the final since only two competitors per country were allowed.

Ye, Dong and Lu are expected to resume their close rivalry here. They are joined in the competition by teammates Tu Xiao (who placed 12th in qualifications at the 2007 World Championships) and Que Zhicheng.

China is not the only Asian force in the men's event, however. Yasuhiro Ueyama and Tetsuya Sotomura (JPN) placed third and fourth, respectively, at the 2007 World Championships. The same pair of athletes took the silver and bronze medal, respectively, at the 2005 World Championships.

Following a 10th-place finish at the recent World Championships, defending Olympic champion Yuri Nikitin (UKR) is here to regain his position at the top as the Beijing Games fast approach.

Also expecting to vie for a medal at the tournament is veteran competitor Henrik Stehlik (GER). Stehlik, the 2004 Olympic bronze medalist, was the top non-Asian finisher at the 2007 World Championships, where he placed fifth. He was also fifth at the 2005 World Championships.

In addition to Nikitin and Stehlik, three other male trampoline gymnasts with Olympic experience are taking part. They are Flavio Cannone (ITA), Nikolai Kazak (BLR) and Peter Jensen (DEN).

Cannone, who placed 13th at the 2004 Athens Games, was seventh at the 2005 World Championships, and sixth at the 2007 World Championships.

Kazak, a top-15 finisher at the 2004 Athens Games and the 2007 World Championships. At age 30, he is the oldest male trampoline gymnast in the tournament.

Jensen, who placed 16th at the 2004 Athens Games, placed eighth at the 2005 World Championships and 14th at the 2007 World Championships/

One of the tournament's younger competitors, Dmitry Ushakov (RUS) looks poised to rise into the world's top group. He made the finals at the recent World Championships, where he finished eighth. / JC