Madaline Davidson (born 8 January 1999) is a New Zealand trampoline gymnast. She competed at the

2020 Olympic Games The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the 1 ...

and finished tenth in the qualification, making her the second reserve for the final. She is the first female trampolinist to represent

New Zealand at the Olympics New Zealand first sent an independent team to the Olympics in 1920 Summer Olympics, 1920. Prior to this, at the 1908 Summer Olympics, 1908 and 1912 Summer Olympics, New Zealand and Australia at the Olympics, Australian athletes competed together ...

Early life

Maddie Davidson was born on 8 January 1999 in Christchurch. Her parents enrolled her in trampoline classes after she began jumping on a family friend's backyard trampoline. She has trained at Olympia Gymnastic Sports in Christchurch under coach Alex Nilov since she began trampoline.

Career

Davidson won the silver medal at the 2017 World Age Group Competition in the 17–21 age category.

2018

Davidson began competing with Alexa Kennedy in synchro competitions in 2018 despite the two living and training on opposite ends of the country. At the 2018 World Cup in Maebashi, the pair finished sixth, and Davidson finished 16th as an individual. Then at the 2018 World Championships in Saint Petersburg, Kennedy and Davidson finished 14th in the qualification round. Individually, Davidson qualified into the semifinals where she finished 13th.

2019

Davidson began the 2019 season with a 24th-place finish at the Baku World Cup. At the 2019 World Cup in Minsk, she won the bronze medal in the synchro event with Kennedy. They then finished fourth at the Khabarovsk World Cup. She only competed as an individual at the 2019 World Championships in Tokyo, and she only finished 42nd in the qualification round.

2020–21

Davidson placed 15th in the qualification round at the 2020 Baku World Cup, making her the third reserve for the final. She finished fourth at the 2021 World Cup in Brescia. Davidson was selected to compete at the postponed

, which made her the first female trampolinist to represent New Zealand at the Olympic Games. Gymnastics New Zealand chief executive Tony Compier remarked that her achievement was a "watershed moment ... one we hope will be inspirational to all young girls and women in our sport." At the Olympics, Davidson finished tenth in the qualification round with a total score of 93.140, which made her the second reserve for the final.

2022–23

Davidson won the silver medal in the individual event at the 2022 Coimbra World Cup. One week later, she won the bronze medal at the Arosa World Cup. She finished eighth at the 2022 World Championships. At the 2023 Coimbra World Cup, Davidson finished 12th in the semifinals. She then finished eighth at the Palm Beach World Cup, and she placed 15th in the semifinals at the Varna World Cup. At the 2023 World Championships, she finished 14th in the qualification round and tenth in the semifinals, making her the first reserve for the final.

2024

Davidson began the 2024 season by finishing 11th in the semifinals at the Baku World Cup and was the second reserve for the final. She then placed sixth at the Cottbus World Cup. In April, Davidson was selected to represent New Zealand at the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Personal life

To fund her training, Davidson works as a trampoline coach and also as a personal assistant for an accountant. As of 2024, she is dating fellow trampoline gymnast and Olympic medalist

Dylan Schmidt Dylan Matthew Schmidt (born 7 January 1997) is a New Zealand trampoline gymnast. He competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics and finished in seventh place. He was New Zealand's first athlete to compete in trampoline at the Olympic Games. At the 202 ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Davidson, Maddie Living people 1999 births New Zealand female trampolinists Olympic gymnasts for New Zealand Gymnasts at the 2020 Summer Olympics 21st-century New Zealand sportswomen Sportspeople from Christchurch Gymnasts at the 2024 Summer Olympics