![]() ![]() ![]() When Downie was later not selected for Tokyo - despite being in what she called the "form of her life" - she pointed to the preceding months of disharmony between herself and British Gymnastics.ĭownie and her sister Ellie both alleged last summer that they had suffered abusive environments during their time in the sport, and called on the organisation to do better by gymnasts. That heartbreaking news came the night before the British Olympic trials. Meanwhile Britons Georgia-Mae Fenton and Ruby Stacey qualified for the all-around final, placing 16th and 17th respectively of 24 gymnasts who progressed from qualifying.ĭownie proves her resilience after a year of heartacheīecky Downie's result at the World Championships, while disappointing, cannot be hugely surprising considering the kind of preparations she had this year - especially after her family was devastated by the death of her brother Josh, who suffered sudden cardiac arrest aged just 24 in May. It is the first time in 25 years that the World Championships have been held during an Olympic year and, as a result, many major names - including Simone Biles - were missing from the line-ups. A lot of people have said it's like a redemption competition for me, but I just wanted to come and compete." I've worked for two years and I've not had a chance to show any of it. "People don't understand how much it's taken just to get to Japan," said Downie. "I’ve never been so ready to take a step back but there is still so much I want to accomplish and as a great friend quoted me yesterday, 'This is just the beginning of the final chapters.'"ĭownie has been a vocal critic of British Gymnastics in the past year, as one of the only active gymnasts to speak out on abuse in the sport last summer, and described being "made to feel not welcome" within the national team setup at Lilleshall thereafter.įollowing her qualification session on Monday, she described getting to the World Championships in Kitakyushu, Japan, as an achievement in itself. Performing how I did has filled me with confidence to keep trusting myself. ![]() "Being back on the world stage I felt at home, almost like I’d never left. "I don’t have the words myself and there is still so much I need to try and process about this year but I have absolutely no regrets fighting through it all and continuing to chase my dream," Downie, 29, said. But the veteran gymnast struck a positive tone afterwards, referring to a year which saw her cope not only with Olympic disappointment, but also the heartbreak of her brother Josh's tragic death in May. She finished outside the eight final spots for the balance beam and uneven bars, placing 11th overall in both of the apparatus qualifying events. Becky Downie has "no regrets" after failing to qualify for the World Championships finals, insisting she still has more to accomplish in gymnastics despite the most turbulent 18 months of her career.Ĭompeting at her first major event since 2019, and representing Great Britain for the first time since her shock omission from the Tokyo Olympic squad earlier this summer, Downie was unable to draw on the experience that saw her win a world silver medal two years ago. ![]()
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