How Bryony helped her sport spring to life

YOU could call it the Bryony bounce. When Bryony Page somersaulted her way to a shock silver medal at Rio 2016, she also turned trampolining on its head back home. Before Brazil, many people thought the gymnastics discipline was just something you did in your back garden rather than on an Olympic stage. But the day after Page become the first Briton to win a medal in the event, there were thousands of new converts wanting to learn how to twist and tumble, with the numbers searching for their nearest trampoline club on the British Gymnastics website increasing by 511 per cent . ‘It is flattering to hear that something I did at the Games, with it being on TV on a Friday night for people to watch, inspired others to start,’ says Page, 30. ‘After my event, I did my normal check of social media, which normally doesn’t take very long, but I was on there for hours scrolling down and reading messages. ‘People were saying: “I didn’t even realise trampolining was an Olympic sport or a sport at all, this is really cool”. Parents got in touch and said they were going to enrol their kids, or they had been inspired to take it up again themselves. ‘When I came back from Rio, a lot of club coaches told me that their waiting lists had filled up really quickly. It was really exciting.’ Page, who is now a qualified coach, has been to schools to talk to children about her achievements and promote her sport. She added: ‘It is exciting to be able to do that. I always get a bit nervous because you want to make a positive impact on people and inspire them even more.’