![]() After being known for much of her career as a supreme talent who struggled to maintain her composure with major medals on the line, her moment of reckoning came when she won the European championships on uneven bars in 2014, beating the Olympic champion Aliya Mustafina before retaining her title in 2016. But, for me, after that it was like: ‘OK how do I stop that from happening again? You have to be so good that they can’t not put you on a team.’”įor seven years, Downie has been that good. “That was heartbreaking because I had never not made a team in my career until that point,” she says. Downie was distraught, but in hindsight the snub lit a fire within. For a while, it seemed like it would be defined by her bitter 2012, where after being Britain’s second-in-command behind Tweddle for five years, the first major team she did not make was for her home Olympics. I think I’ll stick with the normal one.”ĭownie’s abnormal skill selection complements a career that has been far from regular. People say: ‘Will I try it?’ But I just don’t think it’s for me. ![]() When I ask Ellie Downie, Becky’s sister and the 2017 European all around champion, if she has ever tried the Tweddle, she laughs in my face: “We debated trying that but I can barely hang in that grip because I’m just too stiff.” Alice Kinsella, who won the European title on beam this year, simply closes her eyes and shakes her head: “I’ve never tried it. Downie believes it can drive her to secure the world or Olympic uneven bar medal she has been chasing for 12 years.įor many other gymnasts, just the first skill alone, the Tweddle, is impossible. ![]() ![]() The connection was invented by Beth Tweddle, Britain’s greatest female gymnast, and it is widely considered one of the most difficult in the world. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |