Tokyo 2020

Two-time Olympic champion Rosie MacLennan was favored to defend her titles from London and Rio, but Chinese gymnast Zhu Xueying ended MaClennan’s reign with a score of 56.635. Liu Lingling finished a few tenths behind her teammate to claim the silver, marking the second time China has had two gymnasts make the podium in the event. British gymnast Bryony Page captured her second career Olympic medal when she scored a 55.735 to place third, adding a bronze to the silver she won in Rio. Nicole Ahsinger was the only gymnast representing Team USA in the women’s trampoline competition, and she made history by placing sixth, which tied 2012 Olympian Savannah Vinsant as the best finish by an American trampoline gymnast.

On the men's side, history repeated itself in the men’s final, as a gymnast from Belarus won gold for the second consecutive Olympics. Ivan Litvinovich carried on the tradition in Tokyo. The 20-year-old had the most difficult routine of all the competitors in the final and minimized the deductions that came with a few unruly bounces to edge China’s Dong Dong for the gold. New Zealand’s Dylan Schmidt placed third with a 60.675 to win the nation’s first-ever Olympic medal in any gymnastics discipline. 

Rio 2016

China won two medals in the men’s event: silver and bronze. The 2012 gold medalist, Dong Dong of China, was beat by Belarusian gymnast Uladzislau Hancharou for the gold. The 20-year-old Hancharou scored 61.745 to win in his Olympic debut.

On the women's side, Canada's Rosie MacLennan, 25, successfully defended her Olympic gold medal with a score of 56.465, beating Bryony Page of Great Britain and Li Dan of China. Li was the reigning world champion.

London 2012

Both defending champions from Beijing failed to add a second gold medal to their collections in London. China's He Wenna, the defending women's champion, dropped to her knees at the end of her final routine and landed in bronze medal position. Instead, Canadian Rosie MacLennan earned a personal best score of 57.305 to claim the top of the podium - and Canada's first Olympic gold medal of the London Games. Team USA also had reason to be proud, as Savannah Vinsant became the first American to advance to the trampoline final since the sport was added to the Olympic program in 2000.

The 2008 gold medalist on the men's side, China's Lu Chunlong, was denied a repeat win by Dong Dong, also from China. Dong had the top score in qualifying and finished more than a point ahead of the silver medalist, Dmitry Ushakov of Russia. American Steven Gluckstein finished last in the qualifying round when he hit the safety pads after only two skills and was unable to complete his routine.

Beijing 2008

At a home Olympics, China claimed its first ever trampoline gold medals with two champions. In the women's competition, 2004 Olympic champion Anna Dogonadze of Germany fell in the finals and finished eighth; while 19-year-old He Wenna jumped to first place. Karen Cockburn of Canada won the silver (her third career Olympic medal) and Uzbekistan's Ekaterina Khilko finished third.

The next day, China's Lu Chunlong edged Jason Burnett of Canada for gold. China's Dong Dong, a relatively inexperienced competitor in Beijing, won the bronze medal. 2004 Olympic champion Yuri Nikitin of Ukraine finished fifth, while Athens bronze medalist Henrik Stehlik of Germany was eliminated in qualification after judges believed he missed the target area. (Video shows the call was incorrect, but replays are not allowed in official reviews and Stehlik's protest was denied.)

Athens 2004

In trampoline's second appearance in the Olympics, Ukraine's Yuri Nikitin won a surprise gold medal, finishing three-tenths of a point ahead of the 2000 Olympic champion and reigning world champion, Russia's Alexander Moskalenko. Nikitin had never won a world championship medal before claiming Olympic gold; at four Worlds appearances he placed no better than fifth.

In the women's competition, defending Olympic champion Irina Karavayeva of Russia failed to qualify for the final, leaving the door open for Germany's Anna Dogonadze and Canada's Karen Cockburn to claim gold and silver, respectively. China's Huang Shanshan, the youngest athlete in the competition at age 18, earned bronze, becoming the first Asian to win an Olympic trampoline medal. All three medalists scored higher than Karayeva's previous Olympic total score of 38.90.

Sydney 2000

In the late 1990s, when trampoline was officially added to the program for the Sydney Games, then three-time world champion Alexander Moskalenko of Russia came out of retirement. In Sydney, the 30-year-old won comfortably to join compatriot and training partner Irina Karavayeva as trampoline's first Olympic champions.

Russia wasn't the only nation to see its flag flown twice at the trampoline medal ceremonies. After 19-year-old Toronto native Karen Cockburn took bronze in the women's event, her then-boyfriend (now husband) Mathieu Turgeon finished third in the men's competition. The surging Turgeon's bronze came just a year after he'd placed 15th at the 1999 World Championships, barely qualifying for the 2000 Games.

What year did trampolining become an Olympic sport?

Trampoline made its Olympic debut at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia. 

Where did Olympic trampoline competitions originate?

Inspired by circus acrobats, an American gymnast named George Nissen constructed the first trampoline out of canvas, angle iron and inner tubes in 1934. Nissen called his device a trampoline after trampolín, the Spanish word for springboard. Trampolining caught on quickly as a backyard activity and was even used to teach pilots air sense in World War II. However, trampolining as a sport was slower to catch on. Trampoline was recognized as an official sport in 1962 by the International Gymnastics Federation, with the first world championships held in 1964. 

Who won the gold medal in women’s Olympic trampoline?

 Zhu Xueying of China won the gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. 

Who won the gold medal in men’s Olympic trampoline?

 Ivan Litvinovich of Belarus won the gold medal at at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.