News about Becky Downie

British gymnast Becky Downie made an emotional return to Olympic competition on Sunday. The 32-year-old from Nottingham missed the Tokyo Games after her younger brother Josh died at the age of 24 from an undiagnosed heart condition in May 2021, just days before the start of Olympic trials. It was unclear whether she would return for a third Games - having made her Olympic debut as a 16-year-old at Beijing 2008. But her performance on Sunday helped Great Britain book a spot in Thursday's final in the women's artistic team all-around event. That final will take place on Josh's birthday. 'As I was entering the arena I started tearing up,' said Downie.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY DAVID COVERDALE: When Team GB name their gymnastics squad for the Paris Olympics on Thursday, Becky Downie must do something she has not done in a while - set foot in Lilleshall. The country house in Shropshire acts as the national training centre for British Gymnastics. Yet, remarkably, Downie has been too traumatised to go anywhere near the place where she would ordinarily be preparing for her third Olympics. 'I've been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder around it,' the 32-year-old reveals to Mail Sport ahead of her return to Lilleshall for the team announcement. 'They said the symptoms are very similar to PTSD, that Lilleshall was a really triggering place for me. So I have been allowed to do my whole prep from my home gym and to not step anywhere near Lilleshall.'

Even if she is injured and unable to compete, champion gymnast Becky Downie makes sure she can afford her bills. In the 2019 World Championships, the 31-year-old double European champion and her younger sister and fellow gymnast Ellie Downie earned silver for Great Britain. Donna Ferguson says she is suspicious about how she invests her money. Joshua, her brother, died of an undiagnosed heart disease while playing cricket on the night before her final Olympic trial in 2021. Becky was initially ruled out of the selection for the British Olympic team, but she has since suffered an injury and a reduction in her monthly income from UK Sport. However, she believes that if she works hard, she will achieve something, and that she will continue training and competing. Both she and Ellie, 23, are ambassadors for the British Heart Foundation.