Huang crashes out

Instead it was her compatriots who wowed spectators with a series of gravity-defying leaps, with top honours in the women's qualification going to He Wenna and the two top finishers in the men's China's Lu Chunlong and Dong Dong.

"Of course I really feel extremely regretful," Huang said. "I still don't know what happened. I trained well and these things never happened before in training," said the 21-year-old, who lost her rhythm in her ninth flip and landed on her side.

But she was full of praise for He, two years her junior, who placed fourth at the world championships.

"Wenna has improved a lot in a very short period of time, so ... I'm also happy to see her succeed," she said.

In the women's, reigning world champion, Russian Irina Karavaeva, also qualified, as did the Athens gold and silver medallists, German Anna Dogonadze and Karen Cockburn of Canada.

Canada, which has yet to win a medal, had a second hopeful in Rosannagh MacLennan, who came third in the qualifying round.

Britain's Claire Wright missed on the final by two places though after finishing tenth.

"I got through my routines so obviously I am pleased with that," Wright said. "But I am disappointed to miss out on the final. Not everything went to plan though, the beginning was good but I made a mistake and that cost me.

"That was my last ever competition, so I wish I had made the final. But that said I've had a great experience."

In the men's there was also surprise upset, with Athens bronze medallist Henrik Stehlik of Germany finishing last and failing to qualify.

Ukrainian Yuriy Nikitin, the Athens champion, finished fourth after the two Chinese and Russia's Dmitry Ushakov to book his place in the final.