For Brock Batty the trampoline has always been a way to find freedom, with the exhilaration of each gravity defying leap and twist offering the ultimate adrenaline high.
When he was younger Brock’s backyard trampoline was his playground, the place where his love for the sport took shape, even before it ignited dreams of something greater.
"I started to teach myself flips on my backyard trampoline just trying to seek adrenaline as a young kid," he said.
It wasn’t long before the thrill of defying gravity, the rush of the flips, and the pure joy of bouncing higher and higher became a daily pursuit, and one which offered a potential Olympic path.
In 2023, Brock claimed gold at the Trampoline World Age Group Championships in Birmingham, securing wins as both an individual and in a synchronised duo with partner Nicolas Diaz Ballas.
However, it was a performance in Germany at the recent Olympic qualifiers that boosted his Games chances.
"I performed really well, to the point where it made me think that this Olympic dream could happen a lot quicker than I anticipated it would," he said.
A focused discussion with his coach prior to Australian Championships in May then set the stage for strategic preparations while setting a clear goal, win the national championships.
"I knew if I did so, I would've put myself in a really good position to make this dream happen, and with the hard work that I put in, I was able to make it happen; I knew I hadn't left anything left in the tank.”
It was this win that solidified his selection, with Brock named to the history-making largest ever Australian Olympic Gymnastics Team.
At 17, Brock will make further history when he becomes the youngest male from any nation to contest Olympic trampoline.
“My goals for Paris are to enjoy the experience and learn as much as possible," the Victorian said.
“I have been training really hard for this, focusing on perfecting my technique and jumping higher and higher. It feels like I am getting better with each training session; I’ll be in a good position when I get to Paris.”
Australia’s only Olympic medal in Gymnastics comes from ‘Jumping Ji’ Wallace, who captured a silver medal at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
Brock will look to emulate Ji’s success and chase Australia’s second Olympic medal when competition begins.
The trampoline gymnastics competition takes place on 2 August at Bercy Arena from 10:00pm (AEST).
Zoe Lorenzin
