Speaking to British Gymnastics, Page said.
“I can’t believe it, this is absolutely incredible, I dared to dream about this moment and it’s come true. So yeah… I completed it mate”
Trampolining has been a permanent fixture in the Olympic Games since its inception for Sydney 2000. Page is the only British Olympic medalist in the sport male or female and now she officially has one of each colour.
She entered the Olympic competition in Paris riding the crest of a wave and as the reigning individual world champion after victory in Birmingham in 2023. She also won the world title in 2021, so there was no doubting her pedigree as she attempted to claim Olympic glory. Page was able to negotiate the qualifying stage with minimal fuss, sealing her place in the final with the fifth highest score in the qualifying competition.
The 33 year old from Crewe knew what it would ultimately take to upgrade her qualifying score and to stand on the Olympic podium after her exploits at previous games. She drew upon her wealth of experience as she stepped up as the penultimate gymnast in the Paris final. Page maintained the necessary control and immense height throughout the duration of her twenty second routine, which allowed her to perform her skills to near perfection. She entered the final with the highest difficulty score of all of the competitors, so the accuracy of her execution was the perfect recipe for gold.
Listen to that noise!
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) August 2, 2024
What a routine from Team GB trampolinist Bryony Page in the women's final! 🙌#Olympics #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/C6ntGG1qaJ
As a score of 56.480 flashed upon the big screen inside the Bercy Arena, Page fell to her knees in shock and jubilation as she realised she had taken the lead. The moment that confirmed Page as the gold medalist highlighted the jeopardy that is involved in this thrilling trampoline event. The final athlete lost control of her bounce and fell from the end of the trampoline, cutting her routine short, which ultimately crowned GBs Bryony Page as the champion. The silver went to Belarusian, Viyaleta Bardzilouskaya, competing for the Individual Neutral Athletes team, with a surprise bronze going to Canada’s Sophiane Methot.
The moment of realisation for Page was reminiscent of her delighted reaction in Rio, later admitting that in all of the excitement, she had briefly forgotten that she wasn’t the last gymnast to perform. Despite the nervous wait, it will go down as one of the great Olympic moments for team GB, with the broad smile of Page during the medal ceremony one of the photos of the entire Games in Paris. Her achievements were recognised by her fellow members of team GB, as she was deservedly chosen to carry the British flag alongside triathlon gold medalist Alex Yee, at the Olympic closing ceremony inside the Stade de France.
This was the moment we all knew it could be Bryony Page's day at #Paris2024…
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) August 2, 2024
And it was! 🥇#Olympics #BBCOlympics pic.twitter.com/QTgVDdqm5T
Page has been very open and honest about her past struggles with mental blocks and specifically ‘the twisties’, which at times had hampered her preparation for Paris. Her golden performance is made all the more impressive by the fact that she had been nursing an ankle injury as well as a stiff neck in the build up. But it all came together at the perfect time for Page, with the opportunities ahead of her endless and deservedly very much at her discretion.
Having achieved and cemented her Olympic legacy, now could well be time to pursue her other big dream of joining the circus. The next step for Page could well be to join the world famous circus group Cirque Du Soleil. She spoke to BBC Sport about her exciting plans for the future:
“I love trampolining and I love trying new skills and I’ve still got a few more achievements that I want to achieve personally – new skills as well as some other competitions.”
“Maybe Cirque du Soleil if they still want to have me as an older athlete. We’ll see.
“Then I might try and make a comeback for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, after Cirque.”
Remarkable consistency and longevity has seen Page amass her collection of Olympic medals, as well as establishing her imprint on the sport forever. She is the ultimate role model for future trampoline gymnasts in the UK and beyond, showing them what is possible with strength and determination.
Bryony Page is a British Olympic legend and whatever comes next, she is sure to do it with her trademark style and contagious smile.
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