Trampoline star Kat Dricoll's proud parents are due to fly back home to Medway, tomorrow, after watching their daughter place sixth in the Rio Olympics.

Kat was cheered on by friends from her home club in Gillingham as she clinched an impressive sixth place in the Rio Olympics.

The 30-year-old, from Walderslade, celebrated with GB team mate Bryony Page who took silver in the ladies’ trampolining event.

It was a far cry from her heartbreak in the London 2012 Games when she missed out on the final by just one place. Kat, a former Rochester Grammar School pupil, admitted feeling “horrible” after her exit in the preliminary round which was determined by her final jump.

Since then Kat has trained relentlessly and, according to her father Mike, was going to Rio to sort “some unfinished business”.

Mike and wife Pam flew out to support their daughter in the Maracana Stadium watched by millions of viewers from all over the world.

Colleagues at the Jumpers Rebound Centre, where Kat had trained since she was seven, were glued to the television.

Coach Sue Hawkes said: “We were all very nervous at first. Then everything just stopped, Even people who had never met gathered round the screen in the hall.

“The atmosphere was just electric. The coaches, including myself, were bobbing up and down with her every jump. We are all so proud of her.

“To pick herself up from the London Games is massive.

“I’ve got goosebumps just thinking about it.”

Miss Hawkes said Kat, who now trains in Washington, near Newcastle, always popped into the centre in Mill Road when she came to visit her parents.

She said: “She is truly inspirational and motivates the youngsters.”

Mike, who works at the centre, and his wife are due to fly home tomorrow (Tuesday).

Ashley Jackson’s dream of an Olympic medal in Rio has also come to an end.

The Chatham-born former Sutton Valence pupil was part of the Great Britain hockey squad that failed to make it through to the quarter-finals.

GB could only draw 1-1 with Spain in their final Pool A match, needing to better New Zealand’s result against Belgium to advance – although as it transpired, New Zealand won 3-1 to advance anyway.

England captain Barry Middleton, who plays alongside Jackson for the Medway-based Holcombe club, said: “We didn’t have that bit of luck we needed.

“We’ve definitely improved since the Belgium game. After that we’ve played how we wanted to play, but that first game put us under pressure to get results.

“We got a bit panicky in the game against New Zealand because of the result against Belgium and we lost our brains a little.”

GB women, who include Holcombe players Shona McCallin, keeper Maddie Hinch, Sam Quek and Nic White, are faring better.

They defeated USA 2-1 to finish top Pool B with five wins from five games on Saturday night. They face Spain in the quarter-finals today.