When Becky and Ellie Downie got the call from their mother that they had received a very official-looking mail, the couple assumed the worst. "I thought it might have been a parking ticket," Becky says, laughing.
The Downies could be forgiven for anticipating bad news. In recent years it has been difficult to get good news. So it was a welcome surprise to hear that they were awarded MBEs in the New Year Honors List. The sisters were recognized for their service to the sport of gymnastics and also for their service to gymnasts. They say the second point, referring to how they were the first active members of the British team to speak out about a culture of abuse in gymnastics, was incredibly affirming.
"When you speak out in any situation, you always go with your heart to do what is right, but it is human nature to doubt, 'Did I do the right thing?' says Ellie. "We rely on other people's evaluations, so it's insane to do this on this scale."
It was only a year ago that world bronze medalist Ellie retired from the sport at the age of 23. She made that decision partly because, in the wake of the revelation of emotional abuse and body-shaming by coaches, she claimed she felt 'punished' by some within the British team set-up.
Older sister Becky, who turns 32 this month, is still aiming to make the Olympic team in Paris this summer, in what would be her dream to end a career that has spanned two decades.
She says achieving an MBE is personally satisfying, but it feels "a bit strange" as she is still working in the same environment she emerged from in 2020.
"I think people respect what we did, but I still feel like it makes me the bad person, if that's the right way to put it," she says carefully. "I keep reminding myself that I did something good. Coaches I don't know very well or younger athletes and parents come up to you and thank you. But the people you work with all the time [with] those people, sometimes it still feels like I was the bad one. I hope this will influence opinions. As time goes on, people will start to see the impact."
The story continues
It would be an understatement to describe the Downies' relationship with British gymnastics over the past three-and-a-half years as rocky.
When an avalanche of abuse allegations hit the governing body in the summer of 2020, Becky and Ellie were the only active members of the national team to join the chorus of ex-gymnasts claiming to have experienced emotional abuse.
It helped spark calls for what culminated in a £3 million investigation into British Gymnastics, which found 'systemic' abuse in the sport, experienced by children as young as seven.
British Gymnastics has since followed the recommendations of the 2022 Whyte Review, with the aim of reforming sporting culture. Included in the 40-point action plan was the publication last year of a list of banned coaches, and in November it finally introduced a policy that prevents coaches from weighing gymnasts under the age of 10. For athletes aged 11 to 18, only a sports scientist or doctor is now allowed to weigh them, and this requires the consent of the gymnast himself and of a parent or guardian.
"I thought this was a huge step in the right direction," says Ellie, who has experienced body-shaming firsthand. "I'm not entirely sure why it has taken so long for such a rule to be introduced. They have to be careful who they hire because I had a lot of problems with the nutritionist I worked with. If it was my time and this rule existed, there are still some minor loopholes. But the basic outline of the rule is fantastic."
As Ellie points out, there continues to be criticism about the speed of change within the sport. Last month, lobby group Gymnasts for Change questioned the independent complaints procedure, which is managed by Sport Resolutions, saying it was "not fit for purpose" as it had failed to appoint a single coach over the past 18 months prohibit. (At the time, British Gymnastics acknowledged its frustrations and said it would continue to work with the group to inform its actions.)
Becky says there are also positive things happening within gymnastics, and as she still trains daily, she is encouraged by the way it has developed before her eyes. "To be fair to BG, they are trying to implement regulations across the country, so I don't think decisions are taken lightly. Ultimately, we are moving in the right direction, and that is very good.
"What I see in gyms now compared to when I grew up in sports is just not the same. Gymnasts are happier. We see kids eating in the gym, they are encouraged to bring drinks. There were points where we were told not to drink too much because it makes you heavy. To know that we were able to have an impact on that change, it just means everything."
Ellie has happily settled into life after top sport. She is a pilates instructor at a studio in Birmingham and says it is "a lot less stressful" than trying to win Olympic medals. She hasn't yet convinced Becky to join her for a class, but is banking on her becoming a regular when she finally hangs up her leotard at the end of 2024.
However, Becky isn't done yet and if she can achieve her goal of finally winning a medal at her third Olympics, it will be quite a comeback story.
Last April she returned to a major championship after a two-year absence by winning a European silver medal in the uneven bars - her specialist event - and gold in the team event. It was an important milestone for her, after a debilitating Achilles tendon rupture in June 2022.
However, the Downies' story goes beyond the physical obstacles. Their family was struck by tragedy on the eve of the 2021 Olympic team trials, when they learned that their 24-year-old brother Josh had died suddenly due to an undiagnosed heart condition. It was devastating. A few weeks later, Becky was controversially left off the Olympic team, despite struggling through her grief to attend a court hearing at a later date.
Those memories linger, but Becky is grateful that there will be no Olympic trial in the run-up to Paris. Instead, the selection will take place in May based on a number of lead-up events, where she plans to compete on all four apparatuses: vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor.
Sixteen years after her first Olympic Games in Beijing, and considering the heartbreak she has endured, Becky's ruthless determination to compete is quite remarkable. Ellie knows how intertwined their experiences have been and says she is impressed by her older sister's resilience.
Becky is almost ten years older than the rest of the current women's team and has been left out many times, but she remains steadfast in the belief that her best days are yet to come.
"The last three years have been the worst of my life," says Becky. "I really want to enjoy the last year of my career. Getting the MBE gave me the feeling that no matter what happens, if I make it to Paris - final, medal or not - those results, people remember them, but the sport quickly moves on to the next thing. While what we did, we changed gymnastics forever. It means absolutely everything. Now I feel like I have nothing to lose."
