Ellie Downie

2023 - 1 - 24

Post cover — Image courtesy of "BBC News"

My mental health was taking a beating - Downie (BBC News)

Great Britain's Ellie Downie has said she chose to retire from gymnastics because her mental health "was taking a beating". Downie, 23, announced her ...

"If I am sad I want to eat and I feel that is because I was told I couldn't," she said. - Claims an email sent to those who competed at the World Championships by national coach David Kenwright said: "We finally put the naysayers to rest". It's only been until now that I've felt like I can and strong enough to do so." "Some people go to drink or drugs when they are highly emotional and I turn to food. "Ultimately it did really hinder us a lot, we both didn't make the Tokyo Games. But the whole scenario around it, no-one came up to me, I sat on the bench crying, the coaches ignored me. In response to the claims in the podcast, British Gymnastics said in a statement: "She's raised issues that we are already aware of and are being addressed, particularly around the conduct and communication of a member of our coaching team. "Our Performance Director immediately sent correspondence to recipients outlining that some of the language and tone was unacceptable and not in line with our culture and commitment to reform," British Gymnastics added: "A subsequent discipline and education process took place and this is being monitored as an ongoing process." Speaking later to the BBC, Downie also added that she felt she had "nothing to lose now" in speaking out about the issues. - Throughout her career her weight was ridiculed with coaches blaming injuries on how "heavy" she was. Chief executive of British Gymnastics Sarah Powell said Downie was a "trailblazer in how she has reflected on her experiences to challenge and push the sport of gymnastics forward." "I was coming in as a reigning world medallist, with the potential to do well in Tokyo if they would help me along the way," she said.

Gymnast Ellie Downie retires aged 23 to prioritise 'mental health and ... (Messenger Newspapers)

Downie won 12 major medals in her career, including European Championship all-around gold in 2017 and two World Championship bronzes.

“To say it’s been a massive decision is a massive understatement but after a really tough last few years I’ve made the decision to prioritise my mental health and happiness. The Nottingham-born athlete said the decision came with “a heavy heart”. Gymnast Ellie Downie has retired from the sport at the age of 23 to prioritise her “mental health and happiness”.

Ellie Downie announces retirement (British Gymnastics)

2016 Rio Olympic gymnast, Ellie Downie, has announced her retirement from elite gymnastics.

Ellie Downie retires from gymnastics at 23 (Telegraph.co.uk)

Exclusive: Gymnast Downie announced her retirement at just 23, but says she would have continued had she been better treated.

A couple of weeks after the World Championships, Downie was shown an email sent by Kenwright to the team, where he said their success had proven wrong the sport's "naysayers". "This stuff literally happened to me three months ago, and I haven't witnessed any of [the improvements] and it's been two and a half years. Ahead of the trials for last year's World Championships, Downie claims she was asked by Kenwright how she would feel about serving as a reserve member of the team. Despite the sour note she has ended her career on, Downie is positive about her future. A subsequent discipline and education process took place and this is being monitored as an ongoing process." But she is disappointed that, other than a reduction in weight-shaming, the sport's lofty plans for reform are, in her opinion, still not working in practice. After feeling unsupported by Kenwright in the past year, Downie took the decision to officially call time on her career, aged just 23. But, according to Downie, rotten apples remain within the national team set-up. She believes that decision changed the trajectory of her career. "Seeing that email consolidated that I would definitely not get selected again. The governing body aims to achieve complete reform by 2025. [speaking out about abuse in the sport](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gymnastics/2020/09/09/ellie-downies-anger-weight-shaming-complaint-thrown/), exposing a culture of fear from grass-roots coaching all the way up to elite level.

Ellie Downie retires from gymnastics 'to prioritise mental health' (Yahoo Eurosport UK)

Downie and sister Becky, 30, went public in July 2020 with allegations of an 'environment of fear and mental abuse' at elite levels in their sport.

Ellie Downie retires from gymnastics | Priority is "mental health and ... (Sky Sports)

Ellie Downie has announced her retirement from gymnastics in order to "prioritise her mental health and happiness".

"To say it has been a difficult decision is a massive understatement, but after a really tough last few years, I've made the decision to prioritise my mental health and happiness. Ellie Downie has announced her retirement from gymnastics in order to "prioritise her mental health and happiness". Ellie Downie has made the decision to retire from gymnastics; She says that it is in order to "prioritise her mental health and happiness"; Downie won the all-round European Championship gold in 2017

Olympian, Two-Time World Medalist Ellie Downie Announces ... (The Gymternet)

Ellie Downie, 23, announced her retirement from gymnastics to prioritize her mental health and happiness after nearly a decade of international success.

Over the next three years, in addition to her success at Euros, Downie won a number of national titles, including the all-around titles in 2017 and 2019, and she worked tirelessly to increase her difficulty on a number of events, especially on vault, where her upgrade to a Cheng made her one of the most competitive gymnasts in the world on this apparatus. Downie’s hard work and dedication to the sport secured her spot in the history books as one of the greatest British gymnasts of all time, just as her bravery and selflessness in speaking out about the physical, emotional, and mental abuses she and many others have endured in the culture of British gymnastics has cemented a legacy far more significant than her results. She also made her world championships debut that year, contributing routines on all four events in the team final to help the British women win the program’s first world team medal in history by upsetting the Russians to take the bronze. In addition to the team selection, Downie said there were a number of comments – mostly from head coach David Kenwright – that made her feel ostracized. This is a valid concern for any coach, but given the fact that her fate had essentially been decided prior to the trial even beginning, Downie felt the odds had been stacked against her, and refused both the reserve spot as well as the chance to compete at a world cup. There’s so much to unpack here, including the backlash after she came forward in 2020 about abuse in the sport and how the trial process for world championships last year significantly contributed to severe emotional and physical strain.

Ellie Downie retires: gymnastics star announces retirement to ... (NationalWorld)

The 23-year-old Olympian Ellie Downie has announced she has retired from gymnast due to her mental health.

I went home without anyone speaking to me before I left - that was absolutely heart-breaking.” “When I got tothe last trial (before Tokyo), I decided to pull out. Downie competed at the 2016 Rio Olympics where she placed 13th after landing on her head during a tumbling pass on floor. She is the younger sister of a European champion, Becky, and she first came to prominence when she won four medals at the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics. Her bravery and honesty, privately and publicly, helpls shape the future of our sport.” [British Olympian ](/sport/biggest-sport-events-in-2023-including-fifa-womens-world-cup-icc-cricket-world-cup-and-more-3967607)Ellie Downie has announced she has retired from gymnastics.

Ellie Downie

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