No one can bounce back as well as Britain’s first Olympic trampolining champion.
Bryony Page has fought through serious injuries and a double near-miss on her mission to climb her own personal Everest.
And all those ups and downs paid off at the Bercy Arena as she completed her Olympic appearance in style.
The 33-year-old, who won silver on her debut in Rio and bronze in Tokyo, put in a dazzling performance and sank to her knees when it became clear that her routine had brought her to the summit.
Only the Chinese Hu Yicheng was left to compete – but Page did not know this.
“I thought I won,” she said. “I forgot that someone else had to participate.”
As it turned out, the emotion was not premature. Hu stumbled during her routine and Page’s celebration could truly begin.
“I didn’t see the competition, I could only hear the crowd and the points,” she said.
“I knew what the scores were and what I had to achieve, but I had to focus on myself and the routine I wanted.
“I still have more plans, but my Olympic career feels complete.”
Not that Page is giving up her trampoline ambitions – quite the opposite.
She came to Paris as the reigning world champion and still has a desire to bring her winning routine from Birmingham 2023 to the biggest stage of all.
“I’m still thinking about going to LA, but from now on everything will feel like an absolute bonus,” she said.
“Since the World Championships I had been aiming for gold, but shortly afterwards I got injured and almost changed my goals back to just competing in the Olympics and reaching the final.
“We had to make some tactical changes, I didn’t do the exercise I wanted to do and had done at the World Championships.
“That’s one of the reasons why I might come back for more Olympic Games, just to establish that routine there.
“If I’m happy and healthy, I might be in it for a few more cycles. Brisbane (2032) is still in the running because I love this sport so much.”
As Page sang along to “God Save The King,” her radiant smile lit up the French capital, and it’s not easy to wipe her grin off anytime soon.
Such a scene would have been unimaginable in her early days, when Page suffered from “lost move syndrome” and had to rebuild her confidence from scratch.
That experience gave her more empathy than most when Simone Biles went through a similar ordeal in Tokyo, yet both responded in the best way possible by climbing to the top step of the Paris podium.
Biles may have attracted celebrity, but this was a triumph for an unsung Olympic hero from a close-knit family.
“I named my cat after my grandma, she is very special to me and one of my favorite people,” she said. “That’s why my cat is called ‘Grandma.'”
“She couldn’t come, but my mom, dad, boyfriend, brothers, their partners, my little nephew and niece, and friends from all walks of my life are here. I can’t wait to celebrate with them.”
A natural showstopper, Page reiterated her desire to join Cirque du Soleil as she looks to balance her Olympic ambitions with a desire to try something new.
“If they still want me, I would love to perform,” she said.
“This has been my dream for a long time and I’m not getting any younger, so it would be good to do it while I’m strong and healthy.
“I have more to do on the trampoline, so I’m not going to stop right away. I want to show where my glass ceiling is and break through it.”
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