Ben Wilden (born 24 April 1985 in Murray Bridge, South Australia) is an Australian

trampoline gymnast Trampolining or trampoline gymnastics is a competitive Olympic sport in which athletes perform acrobatics while bouncing on a trampoline. In competition, these can include simple jumps in the straight, pike, tuck, or straddle position to more com ...

. He is a former national champion in trampoline sports and represented Australia at the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

in Beijing as the country's sole representative in trampolining.Aussie trampolinist Ben Wilden misses Olympic final
,

The Australian ''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition, ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964.Bruns, Axel. "3.1. The active audience: Transforming journalism from gatekeeping to gatew ...

Personal life

Wilden completed his schooling at Murray Bridge High School and Hamilton Secondary College in

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. He first started trampolining in his backyard 1994, and only a year later competed at the National Championships in trampoline sports, finishing with second place.Australian Olympic Committee: Ben Wilden
Retrieved 2011-11-24.

Competition

Wilden has won a number of junior and senior titles in trampoline and has competed at both an Australian national and international level.

Youth Olympic Festivals

In 2001, Wilden competed at the inaugural

Australian Youth Olympic Festival The Australian Youth Olympics Festival (AYOF) is an international multi-sport event organised by the Australian Olympic Committee Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Aust ...

, receiving silver in the synchronised trampoline event. He followed this achievement by winning gold in the same event at the Australian Youth Olympics in 2003. Wilden openly credits this as one of the highlights of his trampolining career because he hyperextended his knee the week prior to the competition, but was still successful in his pursuit for gold.

2008 Beijing Olympics

In 2007, Wilden was selected as a wildcard to represent Australia in the

2008 Beijing Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Nat ...

as the country's sole representative in trampolining. His Games entry was gained on the back of his performance at the previous years' World Trampoline Championships in Stuttgart, Germany in which Wilden was the highest-placed Oceania performer of the Championships.Aussie Trampolinist Ben Wilden misses Olympic final
Adelaidenow.com. Retrieved 2011-11-25. Wilden narrowly missed the Olympic final, receiving total score of 67.10 to finish 13th overall.

References

External links

Ben Wilden 2007 Australian Champion – AcrobaticSports.com

08 Trampoline
* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilden, Ben Australian male trampolinists 1985 births Living people Sportsmen from South Australia Gymnasts at the 2008 Summer Olympics Olympic gymnasts for Australia Medalists at the Trampoline Gymnastics World Championships Competitors at the 2009 World Games 21st-century Australian people