The 32-year-old has shown courage and resilience to reach Paris after suffering tragedy and a cruel backlash for exposing abuse in her sport
The 2019 world championships seemed to mark a transformative moment in Becky Downie’s lengthy gymnastics career. After years of tireless work, heartbreak, and multiple demonstrations of her immense resilience, Downie’s grit yielded a first individual world medal – silver on the uneven bars. Less than a year before the Tokyo Games, she was ready for her ultimate goal of chasing Olympic glory.
Instead, she was to endure further pain. “The last couple of years have been the hardest cycle I’ve ever done, for so many different reasons,” she says.