Becky Downie facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Becky Downie MBE
Downie winning a silver medal at the 2015 European Championships in Montpellier, France.
Personal information
Full name	Rebecca Downie
Nickname(s)	Becky Downie
Country represented	Great Britain  England
Born	(1992-01-24) 24 January 1992 (age 33) Nottingham, United Kingdom
Height	155 cm (5 ft 1 in)
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Level	Senior international elite
Years on national team	2006–Present (GBR)
Club	Amber Valley Gymnastics Club
Head coach(es)	Jenny Clay
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 1 1 European Games 0 1 0 European Championships 3 7 0 Commonwealth Games 2 1 1 Representing  Great Britain World Championships Silver 2019 Stuttgart Uneven Bars Bronze 2015 Glasgow Team European Games Silver 2019 Minsk Uneven Bars European Championships Gold 2014 Sofia Uneven bars Gold 2016 Bern Uneven bars Gold 2023 Antalya Team Silver 2010 Birmingham Team Silver 2014 Sofia Team Silver 2015 Montpellier Uneven bars Silver 2015 Montpellier Balance beam Silver 2016 Bern Team Silver 2023 Antalya Uneven bars Silver 2024 Rimini Team Representing  England Commonwealth Games Gold 2014 Glasgow Team Gold 2014 Glasgow Uneven bars Silver 2006 Melbourne Team Bronze 2006 Melbourne Balance beam
Awards	Longines Prize for Elegance (2016)

Rebecca "Becky" Downie, born on January 24, 1992, in Nottingham, England, is a talented British gymnast. She has represented Great Britain at three Olympic Games: 2008, 2016, and 2024.

Becky is known for her amazing skills on the uneven bars. She has won two European championships on this apparatus in 2014 and 2016. She also earned a gold medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. In 2019, she won a silver medal at the World Championships. Her younger sister, Ellie Downie, is also a famous Olympic gymnast.

Early Career in Gymnastics

Becky started her journey in gymnastics at a young age. She showed great promise early on.

Junior Competitions

In 2006, Becky represented England at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. Her strong performance helped the English team win a silver medal. She also placed eighth in the all-around competition. In the individual events, she finished fifth on uneven bars and won a bronze medal on the balance beam.

Senior Gymnastics Journey

Becky's senior career began in 2008, and she quickly became a key member of the British team.

2008: First Olympics

At the 2008 European Championships, Becky helped the British team finish sixth. She also won a silver medal on uneven bars at a World Cup event in Cottbus.

Later that year, she became the British all-around champion. She also won the uneven bars title. These achievements led to her being chosen for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. At the Olympics, the British team placed ninth, and Becky finished twelfth in the individual all-around final.

2009: World Championships Debut

Becky continued to compete at a high level in 2009. She placed fourth at the American Cup in Chicago. At the European Championships, she finished eleventh in the all-around. She also placed sixth on both vault and uneven bars.

She won several titles at the British Championships, including the all-around, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise. In October, Becky competed at her first World Championships in London, finishing sixteenth in the all-around.

Downie performing on the uneven bars in 2010.

2010: European Team Silver

In 2010, Becky helped the British team win a silver medal at the European Championships in Birmingham. She also placed fifth in the uneven bars final. At the World Championships in Rotterdam, she contributed to the team's seventh-place finish.

2011: Overcoming Injury

Becky faced a big challenge in 2011 when she injured her Achilles tendon. This kind of injury usually takes a long time to heal. However, Becky worked hard and returned to competition in just nine months. She said that a great medical team and staying positive helped her recover quickly. She competed at the World Championships in Tokyo, helping the British team finish fifth.

2012: Olympic Alternate

In 2012, Becky competed in trials for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. She performed well on vault and balance beam. Although she didn't make the main Olympic team, she was named as an alternate. This meant she was ready to step in if needed.

2013: European Bars Final

At the 2013 European Championships, Becky qualified for the uneven bars final in second place. Unfortunately, she had a fall during the final and finished seventh.

2014: Double Gold Medals

The year 2014 was very successful for Becky. She helped the British team win a silver medal at the European Championships. Individually, she won the gold medal on uneven bars, becoming only the second British woman to achieve this.

In July, she won another gold medal with the English team at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. She also won the uneven bars final, earning her second gold medal at the Games. At the World Championships in Nanning, Becky helped Britain achieve its highest-ever team qualification placement, finishing fourth. She also placed fifth in the uneven bars final.

Downie at the European Championships in 2015, where she won two silver medals.

2015: World Team Bronze

At the 2015 European Championships, Becky won two silver medals, one on uneven bars and one on balance beam. Later that year, she made history with her team. They won Britain's first-ever team medal in women's gymnastics at the World Championships in Glasgow, earning a bronze.

2016: Second Olympics

Becky was selected for her second Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, alongside her sister Ellie. She was a strong contender on uneven bars, but she did not qualify for the final. However, the British team finished fifth, which was Britain's best Olympic result in women's gymnastics since 1928.

2017-2018: Injuries and Comebacks

Becky continued to compete, but faced more injury challenges. At the 2017 European Championships, she injured her elbow during the uneven bars final, which caused her to withdraw from the balance beam final. In 2018, she had to withdraw from the European Championships due to an ankle injury. Despite these setbacks, she was still named to the World Championships team.

2019: World Silver Medal

In 2019, Becky won a silver medal on uneven bars at the European Games. Later that year, at the World Championships in Stuttgart, she helped Great Britain qualify a team for the 2020 Olympic Games. Individually, she performed a fantastic routine on uneven bars, earning a silver medal. This was her first individual World Championships medal. Her sister Ellie also won a bronze medal that day.

2021: Olympic Team Omission

In 2021, Becky competed in trials for the British Olympic team. A very sad event occurred when her brother passed away suddenly. This meant she could not compete in the final Olympic trial. British Gymnastics delayed the selection process to give her a fair chance. However, Becky was later not chosen for the Olympic team. She spoke about how speaking out about issues in British Gymnastics might have affected her selection, stating she was proud of what she did for change.

2022-2023: Return to Competition

Becky continued her gymnastics career. In 2022, she competed in the all-around at the British Championships for the first time in eight years. In 2023, she helped Great Britain win their first-ever European Championships team gold medal. She also won a silver medal on uneven bars at the same event.

2024: Third Olympics

Becky started 2024 strong, competing at the Cairo World Cup and European Championships, where the British team won silver. She was selected for her third Olympic Games in Paris. At the Olympic Games, she helped Great Britain finish fourth in the team final. She also qualified for the uneven bars final, where she finished seventh.

Honours and Special Skills

Becky Downie has received special recognition for her contributions to gymnastics.

MBE Award

In 2024, Becky and her sister Ellie were both awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). This is a special honour given for their services to gymnastics. They received their awards from Princess Anne at Windsor Castle.

Downie Skill

Becky has a gymnastics skill named after her in the official "Code of Points." This means she was the first gymnast to perform this difficult move successfully in a major competition.

Competitive History

Year	Event	Team	AA	VT	UB	BB	FX
2006
	Commonwealth Games		8		5
2007
	World Championships	7
2008	GBR-FRA International Friendly			5		5
	European Championships	6		8	8
	Cottbus World Cup
	British Championships					4
	Olympic Games	9	12
2009	American Cup		4
	European Championships		11	6	6
	Glasgow World Cup			6		5
	British Championships
	British Team Championships
	World Championships		15
2010	Paris World Cup				10	9
	British Team Championships
	European Championships				5
	World Championships	7
2011
	World Championships	5
2012	GBR-FIN-ESP			4		4
	British Team Championships
	British Championships				6
2013	British Championships
	European Championships				7
	Turnen Dames Interland		20
	World Championships				8
	Élite Gym Massilia
2014	English Championships
	British Championships
	Munich Friendly
	European Championships					4
	Commonwealth Games					8
	World Championships	6			5
2015	English Championships					4
	European Championships
	World Championships
2016	English Championships					4
	British Championships
	European Championships					6
	Olympic Games	5
2017	British Championships
	English Championships
	European Championships				7	WD
2018	Heerenveen Friendly
	World Championships	R1			7
2019
	European Games
	World Championships	6
2021	British Olympic Trial 1				4
	British Olympic Trial 2					5
	British Olympic Trial 3
	World Championships				R2	R1
2022	English Championships					7	5
	British Championships		6		WD
2023
	European Championships
2024	Cairo World Cup				7
	English Championships					4	12
	British Championships				6
	European Championships				7
	Olympic Games	4			7

See also

In Spanish: Rebecca Downie para niños