SEMLEY’S Lloyd Wallace produced the jumps of his life to come seventh in the Deer Valley aerial skiing World Cup and is now looking to go one better this weekend and mark his 21st birthday in style.

It had been almost 21 years to the day since a Brit had finished in the top ten of an aerial World Cup when Wallace came seventh with a score of 113.97 points in Deer Valley, USA, on Thursday.

The former King’s School Bruton pupil recorded two personal bests on his way to what was the most impressive result of his senior career, before coming 29th in the next round the following day.

Despite needing to get up at 5am and perform the first triple somersaults in training before 8am, Wallace landed his qualification jump to score 104.37 - a personal best already, putting him into 12th place.

The top 12 went again into the final, with scores reset and again Wallace went for the triple twisting triple back somersault, a Lay Double-Full Full to score a new personal best of 113.97.

“My heart was pumping. I was first to go in finals and knew I had to put down an impressive jump,'' he said.

"I took a bit more speed than my previous jump and then the rest was a bit of a blur until I reached the bottom of the landing hill.

"It was an unbelievable feeling standing at the bottom leading the competition in front of the TV cameras for three or four of the next jumps, such a surreal experience.”

He added: "I am absolutely ecstatic with my result. Both jumps were the best I've ever done on snow (and) I still can't believe it.

"I was aiming for a top 20, and to come away in seventh is just a dream. Big thanks to my coach Mich Roth who deserves just as much credit.''

It is Wallace’s first full season on the World Cup circuit and he insists there is still room for improvement heading into Saturday’s next World Cup in Moscow – which coincides with his 21st birthday.

“I couldn’t believe it,” admitted Wallace, who is part of the SSE Next Generation programme.

“I had a difficult week of training and then managed to put it all together. To be honest I was baffled.

“In the training week in Canada I had been having issues but I knew I had it in me to compete with the best but to do it on the day was amazing.

“In the first round of the World Cup season in China I didn’t put down the jumps that I wanted to (coming 26th and 27th), so to come to Deer Valley and produce two amazing jumps is a dream come true.

“But they were not the perfect jump and I know I can do better so hopefully I can put it down on the big day on Saturday.”

The sport is in the 20-year-old’s blood as his dad Robin took part in the 1988 Olympics and mum Jilly Curry represented her country at the 1992 and 1994 Games, while his 18-year-old sister Elodie also competes.

Wallace is in the second year of his Sports Performance degree at the University of Bath but also spends a lot of his time training abroad, primarily with the Swiss national team.

And the rising star of British aerial skiing already has his eyes on the World Championships in Sierra Nevada, Spain, next year.

He said: “This season is about getting experience at World Cup level and then hopefully I can transfer that to the World Championships next year and then the Winter Olympics the year after that.

“Becoming the first Brit to reach the top ten of an aerials World Cup since the 1990s has given me confidence that I can make it to the top.

“The jump I did in Deer Valley is the record for the most difficult made by a British guy (on the World Cup circuit) so it is an amazing feeling to know I can be up there with the top dogs of the aerial skiing world.

“The World Championships next year is a big goal of mine and I will be trying to perfect even tougher tricks over the summer ahead of that.”

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