BRYONY Page may have won Team GB’s first ever Olympic trampoline medal this summer, but Barry gymnast Zainub Akbar has the upper hand when it comes to a British trophy, writes Katie Falkingham from Sportsbeat.

Because while Page may have an Olympic silver medal around her neck, Akbar has twice beaten her to the Paul Luxon Memorial Trophy at the British Championships – a prize awarded to the gymnast with the most style and execution across both senior and junior categories.

Akbar, who represented Team GB herself at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games in China, watched in awe as Page made history in Rio, having already become the first Brit, alongside Kat Driscoll, to qualify for an Olympic final in the sport.

And 19-year-old Akbar is determined to use the resulting boom in interest in gymnastics to her advantage, as she sets her sights on Tokyo 2020.

“Bryony winning silver in Rio definitely inspired me,” said Akbar, who benefits from being part of the SSE Next Generation programme.

“Obviously, I watched the whole competition, and along with Kat (Driscoll) and Nathan (Bailey), she made history in so many different aspects.

“I think I connected with it more because I know them and I’ve trained with them, and Kat helps me a lot in the lead up to competitions.

“Getting a medal for trampoline gymnastics has definitely put us on the map, up there with artistic gymnastics, so I know that my investment in the sport is worthwhile.

“At the British Championships for two years running, I won the Paul Luxon Memorial Trophy. It inspires me that I have won that over Bryony, although I don’t see it as that I can get to her level, I see it more as motivation to keep working hard.

“I want to aim for the highest, and then I know I have given it my best shot.”

This year has been one of great improvements for Akbar, in what was her first season as a senior gymnast.

She is hopeful she can continue her fine form in 2017, and has raised the bar with her expectations for the new season.

“This year was my first as a senior athlete, and I qualified for the British Championships which was really good,” she said.

“I hit some personal bests so I was very happy with that. I think I learnt a lot and improved massively over the last year, but competing against other seniors has motivated me to progress further, and I know I have work to do.

“Next year, I’m aiming to get selected for the World Cup series as a senior, before looking for selection for the World Championships towards the end of the year.

“As long as I carry on the hard work, it should all fall into place for me.”

SSE’s Next Generation programme partners with SportsAid to provide financial support and training to the sports stars of the future. Keep up to date with the latest @SSENextGen.