Bryony Page is targeting a gold medal at the Paris Olympics before embarking on a dream career in Cirque du Soleil.
The 33-year-old became the first British trampolinist to win an Olympic medal when she claimed silver at Rio 2016 before following it up with bronze at Tokyo last time out.
The trampolining squad has yet to be announced but Page is all but guaranteed a spot as she is the reigning world and European champion and has hit the scores required for qualification.
She has not ruled out competing beyond Paris this summer, and has the 2028 Los Angeles Games in mind, but wants to realise a childhood dream of performing in the global contemporary circus show.
“I am continuing trampolining after the Paris Olympics, but for how long is a bit up in the air,” she told the PA news agency.
“I really want to join Cirque du Soleil as an acrobat performer and use my trampoline skills for that.
“If I left that until after the LA Olympics I might miss my opportunity. Speaking with the talent scouts, the opportunity is still there, so it is about talking to them and seeing if there is anything for me to go in and get a short-term contract and do that.
“If I love it I will stick with that but if I love it and also feel like I can make a comeback in trampolining, I will do that. But LA is still on the table, even if I do that.
“I have wanted to do it since I was a kid. The trampolining is a performance of what you have been training. I love the idea of the performance and the costumes and using trampolining in different ways.
“If something crops up that the talent scout thinks will suit them, there might be an invitation.
“It depends on the show and what they are looking for.”
If selected for this summer’s Games, Page travels to the French capital without any internal pressure.
She wants to win gold, and her form suggests that is a possibility, but is more interested in taking in the experience of a third Olympic Games.
I really want to join Cirque du Soleil as an acrobat performer and use my trampoline skills for that— Bryony Page
“It would be really nice to win gold,” she said. “Anyone going into the Olympics wants to do that – it’s the dream.
“But I’d be happy with a medal. I have got different targets and it’s my third Olympics, so I want to take everything in.
“It could be my last one, I don’t know, but I want to experience every moment and cherish being part of Team GB again, if I go.
“It would be a huge achievement to be a three-time Olympian. I want to enjoy every moment.
“It’s nice going into a third Olympics knowing I have already had a success story so the pressure will be off.
“The pressure in Tokyo was higher because I wanted to prove that Rio wasn’t a fluke. This feels like I have dealt with the pressure and it is a bonus. It feels exciting.”
Page’s journey has been made harder after she battled with Lost Move Syndrome, a psychological condition in which athletes find themselves unable to perform a skill that was previously automatic.
It affected her performance for several years and left her not being able to complete basic routines she had known for years.
She added: “It made me stronger to know that I can overcome things.
“It’s in your head, it’s your body and muscle memory, so if you can deal with that, external obstacles don’t seem as hard.”
