New Zealand trampoline couple fall head over heels before Paris

For New Zealand's trampoline gymnastics team, the Paris Olympics will be a labour of love.

Dylan Schmidt and Maddie Davidson were Olympic team mates in Tokyo but return to the Games as a couple seeking medals and inspiration from each other.

In a career of ups and downs, former world champion Schmidt became New Zealand's first Olympic medallist in gymnastics when the 27-year-old nabbed a bronze at the Tokyo Games.

He will compete in a third Olympics in the "City of Love" and cheer on his 25-year-old partner Davidson, who became New Zealand's first gymnast to qualify for the women's event at Tokyo.

While Schmidt and Davidson can bounce ideas off each other as elite trampolinists both are mindful of the need to keep a healthy split between their sport and private lives.

"It's not the first topic that comes up when we go out to dinner," Schmidt told Reuters of their athletic pursuits.

"We tend to leave the advice to our coaches."

Keeping a professional distance is not as hard as it sounds, given the pair train at opposite ends of New Zealand. Schmidt is based in North Island metropolis Auckland, while Davidson is based in South Island's Christchurch.

They try to catch up every couple of weeks.

Romance between athletes is often forged in the cauldron of competition and Paris will undoubtedly light the spark for a number of future relationships.

United States women's soccer icon Megan Rapinoe met her partner Sue Bird, the former basketball player, at a team photo shoot for the 2016 Rio Olympics and both qualified for Tokyo as a couple.

Australian rugby sevens players Charlotte Caslick and Lewis Holland also competed as an item in Tokyo.

COVID-19 stole much of the romance from the Games in Japan, where athletes were largely unable to mix