Becky Downie

Becky Downie
— Gymnast —
Downie winning a silver medal at the 2015 European Championships in Montpellier, France.
Personal information
Full name	Rebecca Downie
Country represented	Great Britain  England
Born	(1992-01-24) 24 January 1992 Nottingham, United Kingdom
Height	155 cm (5 ft 1 in)
Weight	53 kg (117 lb)
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Level	Senior international elite
Club	Notts Gymnastics Club
Head coach(es)	Claire Starkey
Assistant coach(es)	Ian Kime
Eponymous skills	stalder backwards on high bar with counter pike – reverse hecht over high bar to hang (uneven bars)
Medal record Event 1st 2nd 3rd World Championships 0 0 1 European Championships 2 5 0 Commonwealth Games 2 1 1 Total 4 6 2 Representing  Great Britain World Championships 2015 Glasgow Team European Championships 2014 Sofia Uneven bars 2016 Bern Uneven bars 2010 Birmingham Team 2014 Sofia Team 2015 Montpellier Uneven bars 2015 Montpellier Balance beam 2016 Bern Team Representing  England Commonwealth Games 2014 Glasgow Team 2014 Glasgow Uneven bars 2006 Melbourne Team 2006 Melbourne Balance beam

Rebecca "Becky" Downie (born 24 January 1992) is a British artistic gymnast who also competes for England at Commonwealth Games level. Considered a specialist on uneven bars and beam, she is the double European (2014 and 2016) and 2014 Commonwealth Games champion on uneven bars.

Downie competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics for Great Britain, was a reserve for the 2012 Summer Olympics team, and was team member for Great Britain at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.^[1]

Her younger sister Ellie Downie is also an international elite gymnast who is the 2014 European Junior champion on vault. Both Downie sisters won their European titles on the same day. Ellie also competed for Great Britain at the 2016 Olympics in Rio alongside her sister.

Junior career

2006

In March, Downie represented England in the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia. She contributed an all around score of 54.100 towards the English team's second-place finish and placed eighth in the all around final with a score of 53.700. In event finals, she placed fifth on uneven bars scoring 14.000 and third on balance beam scoring 14.075.^[2]

Senior career

2008

At the beginning of April, Downie competed at the 2008 European Women's Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Clermont-Ferrand, France. She contributed a vault score of 14.750, an uneven bars score of 15.375, and a balance beam score of 14.850 towards the British team's sixth-place finish.^[3] In event finals, she placed eighth on vault with a score of 13.500 and eighth on uneven bars with a score of 14.700.^[4]

Later in April, Downie competed at the Artistic Gymnastics World Cup event in Cottbus, Germany. She placed second on uneven bars with a score of 14.975^[5]

In June, Downie competed at the British Championships in Guildford, United Kingdom. She won the all around competition with a score of 59.650.^[6] In event finals, she placed first on uneven bars scoring 15.200 and fourth on balance beam scoring 14.500.^[7] Afterwards, she was named to the team being sent to Beijing for the Olympics. "I can't describe how happy I am, and can't stop crying!" Downie said. "It's a massive relief and shows that all the hard work has been worth it."^[8]

Beijing Olympics

In August, Downie competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. She contributed an all around score of 58.075 towards the British team's ninth-place finish.^[9] In the all around final she scored 59.450 to place twelfth.^[10]

2009

In March, Downie placed fourth at the American Cup in Chicago, United States with a score of 55.600.^[11]

In April, Downie competed at the 2009 European Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Milan, Italy. She placed eleventh n the all around final with a score of 55.075. In event finals, she placed sixth on vault scoring 14.025 and sixth on uneven bars scoring 14.525.^[12]

In May, Downie competed at the Artistic Gymnastics World Cup event in Glasgow, United Kingdom. She placed sixth on vault scoring 12.925, second on uneven bars scoring 14.600, and fifth on balance beam scoring 13.300.^[13]

In July, Downie competed at the British Championships in Guildford, United Kingdom. She won the all around competition with a score of 56.100.^[14] In event finals, she placed second on vault scoring 13.250, first on uneven bars scoring 13.850, first on balance beam scoring 14.900, and first on floor scoring 13.750. "I'm most pleased with my beam performance because that has been wobbly so far this year," she said. "I've worked really hard, so it's great to see that work pay off with good scores. I felt the most pressure in the all-around having to defend my title, but that's always the way it is when you're at the top and it's all part of the learning process. The results this weekend have definitely lifted my confidence and given me a great boost ahead of the world championships."^[15]

In October, Downie competed at the 2009 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in London, United Kingdom. She placed sixteenth in the all around final with a score of 53.775.^[16]

2010

In April, Downie competed at the Artistic Gymnastics World Cup event in Paris, France. She placed tenth on uneven bars with a score of 13.300 and ninth on balance beam with a score of 13.875.^[17]

Downie during a routine on the Uneven Bars at the 17th Internationaux de France, in 2010.

In May, Downie competed in the 2010 European Women's Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Birmingham, United Kingdom. She contributed scores of 14.075 on vault, 14.350 on uneven bars, and 14.100 on balance beam towards the British team's second-place finish.^[18] In event finals, she placed fifth on uneven bars with a score of 14.625.^[19] "We were feeling confident before the event," Downie said. "We knew we had to come in today and go clean. We're all so pleased with today. We've being working really hard on our routines in the gym and it all came together at the right time."^[20]

In October, Downie competed at the 2010 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands. She contributed a vault score of 14.733 towards the British team's seventh-place finish.^[21]

2011

In January, Downie injured her Achilles tendon. She said, "I am of course very disappointed to have suffered from this injury but remain very positive about the future and am looking ahead to working hard with the British Gymnastics Medical Team to ensure that I do everything I can to be in a position to return strongly, and continue my journey towards London 2012."^[22] She was able to return to competition in nine months. "I guess the key for my quick return was that I was backed 100 percent by a fantastic medical team, and rather than let myself get down about the injury, I just had to keep reminding myself of all the positives that could come from it." Downie said, "I took the opportunity to give my body a break which wouldn't have been possible without the injury, and then everything just moved so quickly. I was making progress every day and it was very exciting to see, and that helped keep me motivated. My main goal is to return to the all-around competition. My preparation leading up to the world championships was a little rushed because of my injury, so I didn't have the numbers behind me to compete well on any apparatus besides bars. Bars was the one piece I've been working on for a long period of time, as I was back swinging bars eight weeks post-surgery. I'm really excited to get back to a normal program now, which will include training all four pieces, and we have plans for a few upgrades. Most of the skills we are going to upgrade I have been training for a while, as they were ready before the injury, so it's just a case of getting them all back and getting as fit as possible so I can train with no setbacks as we start the preparations for London."^[23]

In October, Downie competed at the 2011 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Tokyo, Japan. She contributed an uneven bars score of 14.433 towards the British team's fifth-place finish.^[24] She told International Gymnast Magazine, "I think the team just bonded so well together and we all had that same goal of a top-eight finish. None of the team wanted to go back to camp knowing we didn't qualify, and we all wanted a Christmas at home – haha! After we did qualify in the top eight, the pressure was gone and we knew heading into team finals we had nothing to lose. Looking back on the qualifications, we knew as a team we had a few errors and plenty we could improve on for the team final, so we just went out there and gave it our best shot. After we placed fifth we were all so excited at the possibilities for next year, and I think the whole team is just so motivated to try and move to that next level. I think as a team we have so much more we can offer, because this year as a team we did have some setbacks. I wasn't fit to compete all four apparatuses and I think all of us have upgrades ready for next year. But these worlds for our team were about staying safe and getting that top-eight finish, which is exactly what we did. I just can't wait to get back in the gym and start working for myself and the team ready for next summer, and I think if all goes to plan Team GB is going to be an extremely strong team."^[23]

2012

At the beginning of June, Downie competed at an international friendly with gymnasts from Finland and Spain in Ipswich, United Kingdom which was also the second Olympic trial. In event finals, she placed fourth on vault with a score of 14.100^[25] and fourth on balance beam with a score of 13.450.^[26]

At the end of June, Downie competed at the British Championships in Liverpool, United Kingdom. This is the third and final Olympic Trial to decide the gymnasts that will represent the United Kingdom at the Olympics. She did not compete on floor but on the other events she scored 14.550 on vault, 14.25 on uneven bars, and 13.100 on balance beam.^[27] In event finals, she placed sixth on uneven bars with a score of 13.350^[28] and second on balance beam with a score of 13.850.^[29]

2013

At the 2013 European Artistic Gymnastics Championships Downie qualified second into the Uneven Bars final with a score of 14.733, behind only reigning Olympic Uneven Bars champion Aliya Mustafina.^[30] However, a fall in the final left her disappointed and she finished in 7th with a score of 13.000.^[31]

2014

At the 2014 European Women's Artistic Gymnastics Championships, Downie was a member of the British team that won the silver medal in the team final, after qualifying in first place. Downie won the uneven bars title, the second British woman to do so after Beth Tweddle, and finished in fourth place in the balance beam final.

Commonwealth Games

In July, Downie won gold in the Women's team final at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. She shared the podium with teammates Claudia Fragapane, Ruby Harrold, Kelly Simm and Hannah Whelan. On 31 July, she won the Women's Uneven Bar final with a score of 14.666. Ruby Harrold, Downie's teammate, won bronze. Rebecca fell twice in the Balance Beam final, and was unable to finish her routine scoring 9.833.

World Championships

Downie was chosen to compete for the British team at the 2014 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Nanning, China; where she contributed solid performances on Bars and Beam to help the team qualify in 4th position to the team all-around final – the highest ever team qualification placing the British women's team has had at a World Championships. She was also able to secure a place in the Uneven Bars final, qualifying in 6th place with a score of 15.166, and advancing to 5th in the final with a score of 15.166 again.

Eponymous skills

Competitive history

Downie competes in the Uneven Bars final at the 2015 European Championships winning a silver medal.

References

External links

• Becky Downie on Twitter
  

Becky Downie at the International Federation of Gymnastics

• Official website
• Becky Downie at British Gymnastics

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