Benny Wizani: the Austrian trampolinist on the road to Paris 2024 with his 'boy band' brotherhood

"Keep it vacation."

That's the playful motto of the self-titled 'Performerbois', the Austrian trampoline squad that has fun at its heart during the intensity of trying to secure a quota spot for an Olympic Games for the nation for the very first time.

Comprised of main protagonist Benny Wizani, Austria's number one male trampoline athlete, the physio/team coach/nominated party guy with the splendid moustache, Jakob Wallentin, and Wizani's coach since he was five, Wilfried 'Billy' Wöber, plus three other athletes, the squad travels the world like a boy band. Their latest destination, the 2024 European Championships taking place in Guimarães, Portugal from 3-7 April.

The light-hearted, holiday vibe works.

In November, at the 2023 World Championships in Birmingham, UK, Wizani obtained a hallowed quota for his nation for Paris 2024, courtesy of securing a place in the final.

The history-making moment was achieved in the semi-final, where the 22-year-old performed the routine of his life to finish in second place with a personal best score of 60.60 to claim a place in the final, where he'd ultimately finish sixth.

With so many emotions to process after stepping down from the trampoline after completing his routine, Wizani promptly lay on the floor to collect himself.

"I was just overwhelmed with all that was going on," Wizani exclusively told Olympics.com after being asked shortly after his history-making achievement what he was thinking in that moment, "Because it's also such a big audience that's here to watch the semi-finals and, of course, the finals tomorrow.

"And I've never had that before because competitions in Austria are usually a bit small and not a lot of people watch it. So it was an amazing feeling to walk on the stage, coming out of the warm-up area, seeing all those people cheering for all the athletes, and it was just a mix of all the emotions that came up."

That juxtaposition of achieving an Olympic dream in front of a raucous crowd compared with emerging from Tulln, a small town in Austria 15,000-strong, as one of the best trampoline athletes in the world alongside his coach since he was five years old, was likely one of many thoughts whizzing through his mind.

• Olympic Schedule Trampoline Gymnastics at Paris 2024

Benny Wizani finds his tribe

Wizani originally took up the sport when he was even younger.

"I'm from a small village, and there was this small restaurant, more like a pub or something, and there was a mini-golf area and some garden trampolines," Wizani explains. "And while my parents were eating and drinking and all that stuff, I was on a trampoline at the age of like, two or three.

"My parents saw that and thought that I may be pretty good for that age, and I had a lot of fun with it, and so they came up with the idea to look for a club at the age of five. The nearest club was in Vienna – that's about a 45-minute drive with the car – but it was worth it for them. They sacrificed a lot. They drove me to the training, like, three times per week."

It was here, at WAT Brigittenau, that he first met Wöber*.* So did he see talent in Wizani even at such a young age, asked Olympics.com of the man himself?

"No, I wanted to kick him out," smiles Wöber. "It's a true story. He was actually too young for our professional sport group, but one guy in the group quit and so his place was offered to Benny and that's why I stuck with him since... 2007, right?"

"2006," responds Wizani, correcting his coach and "best friend" with a smile.

It was two years later, after watching Beijing 2008, that Wizani's Olympic dream took shape, as he watched the sport's idol, Dong Dong take bronze. The People's Republic of China athlete would also take silver in the individual event at Tokyo 2020 to make it four medals from four Games, including gold at London 2012.

Austria awaiting first male trampoline gymnast at an Olympic Games

A low-profile sport in Austria, the training facilities were such that sessions in the sports hall had to fit around the general public, with access limited to three sessions a week for two hours at a time – including the half hour it takes to set up the trampoline for the session and put it away again.

"There's only a small time slot where we are really able to train," Wizani continues, "so we need to take the most out of this one and a half hours, and when you only have that much time, you need to do all you can in that time.

By 2018, his persistence paid off with a bronze medal at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the reward.

The 2019 season was the first as a professional athlete, courtesy of being part of the Austrian military that enables him to train. He also "trains a little in a German league", but he's always had the same coach.

"We have a really, really good relationship," says Wizani of Wöber who has also been on a steep learning curve on the road to what it takes to be a coach that gets an athlete to an Olympic Games.

"A year ago, a project began with four passionate athletes and two coaches (Jakob Wallentin and myself - not so young) aiming to qualify for this prestigious competition," posted Wöber on LinkedIn after Wizani had secured the spot. "As a hobby coach and full-time researcher, this journey underscored the remarkable results possible with a clear goal and an outstanding team."

"They're all doing this as a hobby and to have fun," says Wizani post-competition. "They take vacation from their work to come here, and that has a really, really positive effect on me because then I'm just looking to have fun at the competitions and not to be too focused on the competition (itself).

"The last two years were pretty hard for me where I nearly fell off in every important competition," he adds. "So this group just helped me a lot to get to the point where I am now. Without them, that wouldn't be possible."

Where he is now is likely heading to the Bercy Arena in France, for the trampoline competition that starts on Friday 2 August, courtesy of being the top-ranked male trampolinist from Austria, and therefore likely to be selected by his National Olympic Committee for the coveted spot he secured in Birmingham.

• As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at the Paris Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at Paris 2024.
• Click here to see the official qualification system for each sport.

Brothers beyond on an Olympic journey

"I do think that in the last year especially, this whole group put something together, which is pretty amazing," says Wöber. "And I do think without the group, it would be way harder and due to the group... it gives us an additional boost."

Wizani smiles in agreement. The pair have been through a lot together.

"I'm the team physio," interjects Wallentin, who has arrived in the mixed zone to join the band of brothers after an invitation from Olympics.com.

"He doesn't look like it, but he is," laughs Wizani.

"Yeah, actually, I am," says the bucket-hatted former athlete. "I'm Martin's (Spatt, 49th in the standings in 2023) old synchro partner, but now, yeah, I'm the team physio and the athletic coach."

"And the party guy," adds Wöber.

"Yes, and the party guy," adds Wizani, laughing.

Smiling, Wallentin turns around to show Olympics.com the back of the group's branded T-shirt.

Written in large letters, 'PERFORMERBOIS'. The caption underneath:

'To Olympia and beyond.'