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The sport of trampoline, first introduced to the Olympics in Sydney in 2000, is all about high-flying exploits.Athletes will launch from the trampoline into the air high as 25 feet above the apparatus and perform twists, tucks and somersaults. They are judged by the time in the air, how difficult their routines are and how well they execute them.The athletes -- 16 men and 16 women -- are expected to keep up the height and form throughout their airborne routines while staying to the middle of the trampoline. Heres what to know about the favorites, rivalries and other stories emerging from the group:TEAM TO WATCH: Chinese athletes dominate the sport, even though the country put together a national team only in 2002 and made its Olympic debut in 2004.Defending champion Dong Dong and Gao Lei are vying to win Chinas third consecutive Olympic gold in the mens individual event.Dong, now ranked No. 3, stunned the audience in London four years ago with his near-perfect high-flying routine. He spent more than 18 seconds in the air. He is greatly admired by fellow trampoline gymnasts.The Chinese women have won medals in Athens, Beijing and London. On the team for Rio is world champion Li Dan and He Wenna, known as the Trampoline Princess. He Wenna was the gold medalist in 2008 in Beijing but, four years later in London, she fell at the end of her routine.JUMP START FOR CANADA: As the defending champion, Rosie MacLennan faces a tough field as she seeks a repeat in Rio. Yet she remains at the peak of her sport and recently won the womens title at Trampoline Arosa World Cup.MacLennan, who is known for performing three triple somersaults in her routine, won Canadas only gold medal at the London Olympics.RISING STAR: At age 20, Uladzislau Hancharou of Belarus has had a rapid ascent. The boyish-looking athlete placed second in the 2015 Championships after beating Dong -- one of his inspirations -- and Dmitry Ushakov of Russia.Hancharou began training for the sport at 6 when he was recruited into a sports school. His ambition is to win a medal of any color in Rio, then the gold in Tokyo in 2020.RUSSIAN CONTENDER: Ushakov will be a three-time Olympian when he arrives in Rio, where he aims to improve one place on his silver in London four years ago.Ushakov is ranked No. 1 by the International Federation of Gymnastics, and his rivalry with Hancharou and Dong promises to be one of the highlights of the competition.Thorgan Hazard Belgium Jersey . -- Anaheim Ducks captain and leading scorer Ryan Getzlaf has been scratched from Sunday nights game against the Vancouver Canucks because of an upper-body injury. Dedryck Boyata Belgium Jersey . Brett Kulak and Jackson Houck of the Vancouver Giants were each charged with assault causing bodily harm on Aug. 18, according to the B.C. court services. http://www.soccerbelgiumteamonline.com/Mousa-Dembele-UEFA-European-Belgium-Jersey/ .C. United of Major League Soccer. United chose the defender in the second round of the 2013 MLS re-entry draft. Leander Dendoncker Jersey . Arsenal failed to take full advantage of its main rivals stumbles on Saturday as substitute Gerard Deulofeu levelled with a hard shot from a tight angle in the 84th minute to give Everton a deserved point. Ahead of a crucial fortnight that will see them play against Napoli in the Champions League, Manchester City and Chelsea, Arsenal leads by five points ahead of Liverpool and Chelsea. Vincent Kompany Jersey . -- Teemu Selanne scored the first goal of his 22nd NHL season, and the Anaheim Ducks extended the best start in franchise history with their fifth straight victory, 3-2 over the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night.Alabama, Clemson and Washington all took care of business this weekend, while Ohio State waited at home.In the end, the top four teams entering the conference championship games were given berths in the College Football Playoff.The No. 1 Crimson Tide will face the No. 4 Huskies in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, and the No. 2 Tigers will play the No. 3 Buckeyes in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 31, as announced Sunday by the CFP selection committee.The semifinal winners will meet for the national title on Jan. 9 in Tampa, Florida.Big Ten champion Penn State?missed the cut despite its 38-31 victory over Wisconsin on Saturday and a victory over Ohio State earlier in the season. The Nittany Lions, winners of nine straight games, wound up fifth in the rankings, while?Michigan was No. 6.CFP committee chairman Kirby Hocutt said it was a challenging conversation that led Washington to get the final spot in the semifinals over Penn State.Speaking on the ESPN selection show, Hocutt said the committee chose the Huskies for the No. 4 seed over the Nittany Lions because the selection committee believes theyre a better football team.Hocutt acknowledged there was some concern over the strength of Washingtons schedule, but he said the Huskies quality wins were enough to remove any doubt. He also said the mission of the committee was to identify the best teams, and that winning a conference title -- as Penn State did -- is just one of many things to consider.Had Washington had a stronger strength of schedule, I do not think that conversation would have been as difficult, said Hocutt, who is also the athletic director at Texas Tech.The Huskies only loss was to USC;?their nonconference schedule featured Rutgers,?Idaho?and FCS squad Portland State. Penn State played Pitt, Temple and Kent State, and they lost to the Panthers. The Nittany Lions also were beaten by 39 at Michigan in their last loss.You can make arguments for and against so many teams, Penn State coach James Franklin said on ESPN, adding that his team was appreciative of the Rose Bowl bid it will receive.dddddddddddd.Washington pounded Colorado in the Pac-12 title game Friday night to wrap up its 12-1 season. On Sunday, coach Chris?Petersen responded to seeing people -- including Huskies fans -- holding up signs around the country saying, We want Bama.Sometimes you gotta be careful for what you wish for, Petersen said on ESPN. I didnt hold that sign up.Alabama (13-0) completed its rampage through the regular season by crushing Florida 54-16 in Saturdays SEC championship game -- a contest the Tide probably didnt even need to win to gain the top seed.Clemson (12-1) won the ACC championship by beating Virginia Tech 42-35 in a game that was a lot more exciting than Tigers fans probably had hoped. Quarterback?Deshaun Watson added to his Heisman Trophy résumé, and Clemson needed every one of the five touchdowns he accounted for to hold off the Hokies.Ohio State, which lost the Big Ten East tiebreaker to Penn State and was off this weekend, became the first team to reach the playoff in its three-year history without winning its conference.Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer watched the announcement from a maternity ward in Columbus, Ohio, as his oldest daughter gave birth to his first grandchild.Its been incredible, Meyer said. And everybody is good.Alabama is in the playoff for the third straight season, while Ohio State and Clemson are both making their second CFP appearances.At the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, Alabama opened as a 14-point favorite over Washington. Ohio State opened as a 3-point favorite over Clemson.Information from ESPN staff writer David Purdum and The Associated Press contributed to this report. ' ' '