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
Years on national team	2006–Present (GBR)
Club	Amber Valley Gymnastics Academy Notts Gymnastics Academy (formerly)
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 Lauren Downie, known as Becky Downie, was born on January 24, 1992, in Nottingham, England. She is a British gymnast who has competed in three Olympic Games: 2008, 2016, and 2024. Becky is a two-time European champion and a Commonwealth Games champion on the uneven bars. She also won a silver medal at the 2019 World Championships.

Becky's younger sister, Ellie Downie, is also a talented Olympic gymnast.

Early Career in Gymnastics

Junior Competitions

Becky started her international career early. In 2006, she represented England at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. Her strong performance helped the English team win a silver medal. Individually, she finished eighth in the all-around competition. She also won a bronze medal on the balance beam.

Senior Debut and First Olympics

Becky became a senior gymnast in 2008. At the 2008 European Women's Artistic Gymnastics Championships, she helped the British team finish sixth. She also reached the finals on vault and uneven bars. Later that year, she won a silver medal on uneven bars at a World Cup event.

In June 2008, Becky won the all-around title at the British Championships. She also became the uneven bars champion. These results helped her earn a spot on the British team for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. At the Olympics, the British team placed ninth. Becky finished twelfth in the individual all-around final.

Major Achievements and Challenges

European and World Success

In 2009, Becky competed at the American Cup and the 2009 European Artistic Gymnastics Championships. She continued to show her strength on uneven bars, winning a silver medal at a World Cup event in Glasgow. She also had a fantastic British Championships, winning four gold medals: all-around, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor.

Downie performing on the uneven bars in 2010.

The 2010 European Championships were held in Birmingham. Becky helped the British team win a silver medal. She also reached the uneven bars final.

Overcoming Injuries

In January 2011, Becky faced a big challenge when she injured her Achilles tendon. This kind of injury often takes a long time to heal. However, Becky worked incredibly hard and returned to competition in just nine months. She said that strong medical support and staying positive helped her recover quickly. She competed at the 2011 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Tokyo that year.

Olympic Dreams and Setbacks

Becky aimed for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. She competed in trials and showed strong performances on vault and balance beam. However, she was named as an alternate for the Olympic team, meaning she was ready to step in if needed.

In 2013, at the 2013 European Artistic Gymnastics Championships, Becky qualified second for the uneven bars final. Unfortunately, a fall in the final meant she finished seventh.

Commonwealth and European Gold

The year 2014 was very successful for Becky. She was part of the British team that won a silver medal at the 2014 European Women's Artistic Gymnastics Championships. She also won the gold medal on uneven bars, becoming only the second British woman to achieve this.

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

In July 2014, Becky won another gold medal with the English team at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. She also won the uneven bars final, adding another gold to her collection. At the 2014 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, she helped Britain achieve their highest-ever team qualification. She also finished fifth in the uneven bars final.

World Championship Medal

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

Rio Olympics and Beyond

Becky was selected for her second Olympics, the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The British team, including Becky and her sister Ellie, finished fifth. This was Britain's best Olympic result in women's gymnastics since 1928.

In 2017, Becky competed at the 2017 European Artistic Gymnastics Championships. She qualified for the uneven bars final but had a fall and injured her elbow, which meant she had to withdraw from the balance beam final.

Return to Form and World Silver

After recovering, Becky returned to competition in 2018. In 2019, she won a silver medal on uneven bars at the European Games.

Later in 2019, Becky competed at the 2019 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Stuttgart. She helped Great Britain qualify a team for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Becky also qualified for the uneven bars final. She performed a clean routine and won a silver medal, her first individual World Championships medal. Her sister Ellie also won a bronze medal on vault at the same event.

Challenges and Resilience

In 2021, Becky faced a very difficult time when her brother, Joshua, passed away suddenly. This happened just before the final Olympic trial. British Gymnastics delayed the selection process to give her time. However, Becky was later not chosen for the British Olympic team. She spoke out about the culture in British Gymnastics, saying she was proud of speaking up for change.

Becky continued to compete, showing her dedication to the sport. In 2022, she competed in the all-around at the British Championships for the first time in eight years.

European Team Gold and Third Olympics

In 2023, Becky helped Great Britain win their first-ever European Championships team gold medal. She also won a silver medal in the uneven bars final.

In 2024, Becky was selected for her third Olympic Games in Paris. She helped Great Britain qualify for the team final and also reached the uneven bars final. The British team finished fourth, and Becky placed seventh in the uneven bars final.

Special Recognition

Honours and Awards

Becky and her sister Ellie Downie were both awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2024 New Year Honours. They received this honor for their contributions to gymnastics. They received their awards from Princess Anne at Windsor Castle in early March 2024.

Eponymous Skill

Becky Downie has a gymnastics move named after her in the Code of Points. This is a special book that lists and rates all gymnastics skills.

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