DR JOSHUA DOWNIE TRIAL
It is less than two years since she won a stunning silver medal at the World Championships - a competition that counted as a trial for the Olympic squad - but somehow she has failed to make even the three reserve spots for Tokyo. Downie believes the routine put her in contention for a gold medal.īut last Friday her appeal was denied, and British Gymnastics confirmed she would not go to Tokyo. When she posted a video of her routine online, major champions were applauding her in the comments, even the legendary Nadia Comaneci. Just two months ago, she was on top of the world after executing what she believes is a world leading uneven bars routine. Mounting more pain on top of that seems unimaginable, but the blows have kept coming. Condolence cards are placed around the room to mark how raw and recent her family's grief remains. Sat in her living room in Nottingham now, Downie still has a look of disbelief on her face as she describes the events of the last few weeks. It was the longest journey of my life, getting back to be with my family in Nottingham." The coaches came in and when they told me, I thought, am I actually dreaming this? There are really no words to really describe it.
"I got a knock on the door after midnight, and my first thought was it must be drug testers," Downie says of that night. To make things worse, she received the devastating call on the eve of the final Olympic team trial, while apart from her family at a hotel in Cardiff. It was news Downie says "you never imagine receiving". She had thought things could not get worse than 2020: Olympic postponement, the fallout after she joined whistleblowers to speak publicly about what she described as "normalised" abusive training environments, and her father's time in intensive care battling Covid-19.īut last month tragedy struck when her brother Josh, 24, died suddenly from an undiagnosed heart condition while playing cricket. In an exclusive interview with Telegraph Sport, Downie describes the last few weeks as "the hardest of her life".
She also hints that her treatment was influenced by her decision to speak out at the culture of abuse within gymnastics, suggesting she was “made to feel not welcome” at the sport’s training hub at Lilleshall after going public. On Monday, her shock omission from the Tokyo 2020 team was announced, and she now says she can “never forget” the turmoil she endured from British Gymnastics during the selection process. In a 13-year gymnastics career, which has seen her win 14 major medals, she felt the heartbreak of watching a home Games from the sidelines in 2012. Becky Downie interview: ‘I refused to go back to where I had learnt of my brother’s death’Įxclusive interview: Becky Downie says British Gymnastics failed to show any compassion as she chased an Olympics spot despite grievingīecky Downie has missed out on an Olympics before.
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