From home trampoline to jumping higher than a house...
How Bryony bounced 30ft to glory
THIS charming photograph of a little girl sitting in the sunshine on a trampoline could have been taken in any one of thousands of back gardens across Britain.
But in this particular case it may record the moment when the schoolgirl with a scruffy mop of blonde hair and a determined look in her eyes decided to turn her favourite pastime into a career.
Late on Friday night, Bryony Page followed that career path to a dream conclusion and won Olympic glory in Rio. She caused a sensation by scooping silver and becoming the first-ever Briton to win a medal in the event.
Her breathtaking performance was a far cry from the simple pleasures which inspired her to take up the sport full-time as a youngster growing up in Cheshire. Instead of bouncing
happily a few feet from the ground, in the most daring sections of her routine, Bryony’s graceful jumps measured a staggering 30ft. With her trampoline already standing 4ft off the ground, this means her 34ft-high leaps would easily have allowed her to gaze down at the roof of an average 1930s semidetached house, which would stand at around 25ft high. Dabbing away tears from the medal ceremony, she said: ‘Even getting into the final was making history. ‘Getting on that stage and performing, the feeling that I got once I finished my routine… that’s what I’m here for, I’m here to smash it and I just did it. I was crying even before I got my result – it’s just amazing.’ Her routine and near-perfect landing earned Bryony a score of 56.040, only narrowly missing out on gold to reigning Olympic champion Rosie MacLennan of Canada, who scored 56.045. What makes Bryony’s achievement even more remarkable is the fact that only a few years ago, she suffered a severe case of ‘the yips’, a loss of motor skills more commonly seen in golf and darts.
She said: ‘Hopefully this will inspire people who are struggling with this, knowing that you can push through it. You just have to believe in yourself. Definitely that was a hard point for me, but I didn’t give up and here I am.’
Bryony, 25, from Wrenbury near Nantwich, admitted: ‘You have to be a bit courageous or crazy to go up 10m in the air. The G-forces are the same as a Formula One driver or an astronaut, but I don’t feel scared. I love that feeling of spinning around in the air.’
Three-time British champion Bryony missed out on London 2012 due to injury and illness, but a few months later won gold at the World Cup in Bulgaria.
And after the young athlete’s amazing results in Rio, her star looks set to rise and rise.