1. Elissa Rebecca "Ellie" Downie was born on 20 July 1999 and is a retired artistic gymnast who has represented Great Britain.
23 Facts About Ellie Downie
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Ellie Downie is the all-around 2017 European gymnastics champion, the first gymnast to win a major all-around title for Great Britain.
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The younger sister of triple European champion Becky Downie, Downie first came to prominence as an outstanding junior gymnast at the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics, winning four medals.
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On 23 January 2023, Ellie Downie announced her retirement from the sport.
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Ellie Downie competed at the 2014 European Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, and won a gold medal on vault, a silver medal with the British team and a bronze medal in the all-around.
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Ellie Downie made her senior debut at the 2015 British Championships.
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Ellie Downie won silver on vault and uneven bars and bronze in the all-around competition, and was named to the British team for the 2015 European Championships along with her sister, Becky Downie.
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Ellie Downie performed well in qualifications at the European Championships, qualifying for the individual all-around, vault and uneven bars finals.
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Ellie Downie was the Sky Sports Sportswoman of the Month for April 2015.
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In May 2016, Ellie Downie won all four individual event titles at the FIG World Cup event in Osijek, Croatia, becoming the first gymnast to accomplish this feat at a World Cup competition since Ludmilla Tourischeva in 1975.
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In qualifications at the Olympics, Ellie Downie landed on her head during a tumbling pass on floor and was unable to finish her routine.
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Ellie Downie improved on that performance in the final, finishing 13th, and the British women finished fifth in the team competition.
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Ellie Downie won silver medals on vault and floor exercise, and won the bronze medal on the uneven bars.
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Ellie Downie was selected to compete at the 2019 European Championships alongside Amelie Morgan, Alice Kinsella, and Kelly Simm.
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Ellie Downie competed at the British Championships where she placed first in the all-around, on vault, and on floor exercise.
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Ellie Downie later competed at the Birmingham World Cup where she placed seventh after falling off the balance beam and uneven bars.
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Ellie Downie won bronze in the vault final behind 2015 vault champion Maria Paseka and 2017 vault champion Coline Devillard.
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In September Ellie Downie was named to the team to compete at the 2019 World Championships in Stuttgart alongside Alice Kinsella, Becky Ellie Downie, Taeja James, and Georgia-Mae Fenton.
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In May, British Gymnastics announced that Ellie Downie would be taking some time away from gymnastics to be with her family following the sudden death of her 24-year-old brother Joshua on the eve of the final Olympic trial, thus ending her Tokyo 2020 Olympic bid.
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In 2021, both of the Ellie Downie sisters spoke out concerning the pressures placed onto competitiors, including over-training when injured and weight-shaming.
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In 2023 interviews, Ellie Downie stated she had quit to focus on her "mental health and happiness", and to coach junior athletes.
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Ellie Downie attended the Rushcliffe School in Nottingham until the summer of 2015.
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Ellie and Becky Downie were both appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 2024 New Year Honours for services to gymnasts and the sport of gymnastics, which they received together from Princess Anne at Windsor Castle in early March.