The 2019 world championships seemed to mark a transformative moment in Becky Downie’s lengthy gymnastics career. After years of tireless work, heartbreak, and multiple demonstrations of her immense resilience, Downie’s grit yielded a first individual world medal – silver on the uneven bars. Less than a year before the Tokyo Games, she was ready for her ultimate goal of chasing Olympic glory.
Instead, she was to endure further pain. “The last couple of years have been the hardest cycle I’ve ever done, for so many different reasons,” she says.
The gym work alone was challenging enough. Having toiled to ensure that she was in the best mental and physical form of her life by 2020, the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics by one year meant that Downie had to start from scratch. While all athletes were in the same position, as a 28-year-old gymnast, managing her body and remaining healthy presented a significant challenge.
During the same period, athlete-led movements around the world continued to spotlight a widespread culture of abuse within the sport, prompting Downie and her sister, Ellie, to become the most high-profile British gymnasts to speak out. They detailed weight shaming, overtraining that led to injuries, and the insults they received during training. They thought they would be commended for their bravery, but Downie says that she and her sister were subject to significant backlash from figures within the sport that made their lives even more difficult.
“It went from cloud nine, being world medallists, being at the top of the program, getting into a new world of sponsors,” says Downie. “There were a lot of things changing for us in a really positive way and then it was like everything just went. We were at the bottom of the pack, we lost all our sponsors, nobody really wanted to talk to us.
“It was hard to go from a high in our careers to starting again. I genuinely feel like the last three to four years have been trying to fight my way back. Also, it feels hard because it was something that I don’t think either of us deserved; we did a good thing and we also were doing really great gymnastics. To then be made to feel like you weren’t good any more was really, really hard to take. It’s crazy when I look back at it, everything that’s happened. It still doesn’t feel real to me.”
Downie remained focused and although she was not quite able to discover her glittering form and consistency of 2019, she put herself in contention for the 2021 Olympic team. On the night before the trials in Cardiff, Downie was informed in her hotel room that her 24-year-old brother, Josh, had died suddenly during a cricket game from a heart condition that had been undiagnosed.
In order to keep her dream alive, Downie resumed training days after her bereavement. She conducted her Olympic trial alone at a later date but was controversially not selected for the team or even the reserves. Downie was critical of the insensitivity she felt British Gymnastics had shown towards her in light of her brother’s passing. Most of all, she has had to endure the harrowing trauma of losing a sibling at such a young age. “It’s taken a very long time to climb my way back, and I think it’s probably climbing back from the lowest point I probably could have been,” she says.
It is a testament to Downie’s resilience and courage that, in the coming weeks, she will compete in her third Olympics at the age of 32.
Downie’s career has been a fascinating journey; she is one of the greatest British gymnasts of all time, winning 10 European medals, two world championship medals and enjoying unprecedented longevity. Even though the uneven bars requirements at her first Commonwealth Games in 2006 are unrecognisable from today’s compositions, she has evolved with the times, consistently producing some of the most innovative and difficult routines. Her eponymous skill, the Downie, has never been more popular.
But her biggest triumphs have been hard earned. Downie competed at Beijing 2008 and Rio 2016, but also had to deal with not being selected for London 2012 and Tokyo 2020.
“The main thing that’s kept me going is the dream of having an Olympic medal,” says Downie. “I don’t think I’d still be here if I didn’t think I could do it. In terms of opinions, there’s kind of a 50/50 split. I know what my potential is but it’s been a long time since I’ve been at top level on the world stage. At the same time, I genuinely believe that I have the quality of routine to get where I want to be.”
Alongside her bold whistleblowing, Downie’s gymnastics have also helped to transform the sport. Until recently, women’s gymnastics was considered the domain of teenagers, but this generation has shown that it is possible to enjoy lengthy careers. There has never been a 32-year-old female gymnast competing at this level in Great Britain, making Downie an example for generations to come.
“I think people are learning that you can manage bodies, you can maintain that and actually, you can be stronger and do bigger skills and better skills when you get older, rather than trying to do everything when you’re a teenager,” she says. “It’s been really cool to see the shift. It’s been an honour to be part of that shift. I think being able to prove that you can actually improve when you get older is a pretty cool thing.”
Downie’s bravery has also been rewarded. Earlier this year, Becky and Ellie received MBEs for the impact of their whistleblowing on gymnastics. As she continues to toil in service of her personal sporting goals, Downie understands that her influence on the sport has already been immeasurable.
“I think whatever happens this year, however it pans out, no Olympic medal can come close in that respect,” she says. “As much as that would be the icing on the cake for my career, I think what we’ve been able to do, the legacy is massive.
“I’m just so grateful that I did choose to stay. It’s been very, very hard, but to be in this position now and hopefully to be enjoying the last bit of my career, I can’t wait for it.”
