Podium possibilities in shot put, trampoline

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 03/08/2012 (4832 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

LONDON — Dylan Armstrong has worked the last four years for this day, when he hopes to erase the disappointment of Beijing with one launch of the shot put.

The 31-year-old from Kamloops, B.C., competes on the first day of track and field today at the London Olympics, four years after he missed a medal by less than a centimetre and finished fourth at the Beijing Games.

Since then, the 6-4, 345-pound mountain of a man has worked his way up the international rankings, and was No. 1 in the world last year.

Canada has won two silver and five bronze so far at the Games but is still looking for its first gold. Armstrong has a shot at being the athlete who wins it, but with a stacked field it won’t be easy.

Canada also has medal chances on the first day of trampoline as Jason Burnett performs his daredevil routine.

Burnett won silver in Beijing with the highest degree of difficulty in the men’s field at 16.8.

The Nobleton, Ont., athlete has upped the ante for London. Burnett’s preliminary routine today has a degree of difficulty of 17.6.

Canada’s women’s soccer team plays for its first-ever spot in the final four when they battle Britain in Coventry.

The night won’t be an easy one for the seventh-ranked Canadians. Britain has won all three of its preliminary-round games and is the only team that hasn’t conceded a goal.

The Brits will have the crowd on their side too. Their 1-0 victory over Brazil drew 70,584 fans to Wembley Stadium.

— The Canadian Press