Gymnast Ellie Downie Cracks Neck During Routine at Rio Olympics 2016
Sisters Becky and Ellie Downie giggle when I ask if they are best friends and a couple of seconds later decide that yes, they probably are, before bursting into a fit of laughter.
It sounds so cheesy but we do everything together, says Becky, the elder by seven years. We train together, compete together, share make-up and clothes.
"If were getting ready to go out together its like, Can I borrow this? Can I borrow that? Ellies got a bit more quirky clothes but shell steal pieces of mine and Ill steal hers.
Becky (left) and Ellie Downie have high hopes for Great Britain"s gymnastics team at Rio
The seven years between them is almost a lifetime in gymnastic terms and at 24 Becky has been competing at the top level for a decade since making her senior debut as a precocious 14-year-old at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. Ellie is just 17 and Rio will be her first Olympics. But to the untrained eye they look like twins leaping and tumbling around their Nottingham gymnasium in unison.
We look alike but our body shapes are actually quite different, says Ellie, who at 8st 5lb and 5ft 1in is slightly taller than her older sister.
When I was little I was more similar to Becky but as Ive grown Ive become more of a power gymnast than she is. Shes more elegant, with more technique. Ive got a lot more muscle so when were in the gym we do different conditioning programmes, I dont do as much strength because I have it naturally.
This means the sisters rarely go head to head, with Becky specialising in the most technically taxing disciplines of uneven bars and beam, while Ellie is best on the vault and floor.
Although they compete for the same places on the British team, the three individual medals they won between them at the European Championships this year, including bars gold for Becky, helped ensure them a seat on the plane to Brazil.
The pair of them are best friends and like to laugh but are ultimately serious about competing
They will be part of the best gymnastics team Britain has ever sent to an Olympics.
Ellie became the first British woman to win an individual all-around European Championships medal when she claimed bronze in 2015, and she helped the women win their first team bronze medal at the World Championships last year ahead of the Russians, while the men clinched an equally unexpected silver to follow up their team bronze at London 2012.
With Max Whitlock becoming the first British man to win an individual World Championships gold medal, it seemed to herald a bright new era in British gymnastics. Becky, the only one on the womens team with Olympic experience, has seen the sport transform and witnessed the British team evolve into genuine medal contenders.
Beth Tweddle was always our biggest medal hope as an individual, says Becky. When she won bronze at London it became a case of, How can we win that medal as a team?
After 2012 there was a big push, we just came together as a team a bit more. A massive aspect of team success is everyones got to want everyone to do well and we genuinely do.
There have been hiccups along the way, notably when British Gymnastics experimented with team-building techniques.
We all hate it, says Becky. They set up film night and the projector didnt work, it went a bit wrong. Its just very natural with us girls. Im third cycle and most are aiming for their first Olympics but because Ellie is in there Ive got to know all the younger ones through her.
Wed happily go to each others cities, go shopping for the day and arrange group nights out for the older ones. Our old team wasnt like that, itd be one or two who were close and the others would just do their own thing. Now were a proper team. Ive had the most fun Ive ever had in my gymnastics career the last few years.
Born in Nottingham, both sisters attended Rushcliffe school, adjacent to the gymnasium they train in. Becky, one of five siblings, began gymnastics after seeing a school friend doing flips and tricks in the playground.
Ellie would be in the car when their mother Helen dropped Becky off for class. My mum put me in pre-school classes, says Ellie. At first I would stand at the door crying but she encouraged me to go back in.
HOW TO EAT LIKE A CHAMPIONIf you want to be a champion, you have to eat like a champion especially if, like Becky Downie, you have a weakness for chocolate.
In this sport, body composition and weight is really important, Becky says. Not necessarily for our looks but because we have to do so many repetitions and impacts. Extra pounds means extra pounds of impact on joints.
Breakfast: Scrambled egg whites or omelette with veg and fish.
Lunch: Salad, sometimes with prawns, quinoa, sweet potato, rice and n***d or Primal bars.
Mid-afternoon: Protein yoghurt or shake.
Dinner: Lean fish or meat with vegetables such as butternut squash. Pasta alternatives like carrot or courgette spaghetti.
Luxuries: Chocolate.
Although Becky rose to the top of the British gymnastics scene quickly, competing at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, injury intervened and she went eight years without winning a senior medal. Missing London 2012 after suffering a ruptured achilles took a heavy toll and she considered quitting the sport. But she is determined to help Ellie learn from her experiences.
I feel like I made a lot of mistakes in my career, says Becky. Because British Gymnastics was not as established as it is now I feel like I did a lot of things along the way that led to an injury which couldve been prevented. Ive kind of been the guinea pig and Ive tried to help Ellie not make the same errors. Its my second chance too, to pass on all that experience and see what she can do with it.
The nerves of watching a team-mate compete are amplified when that person is a family member. At the World Championships in Glasgow last year Ellie made an error on the bars in the team final.
When she did a mistake early on my heart sank because I knew how she would be feeling and two minutes later I had to go out and compete myself, says Becky.
I just had to shut out everything I was feeling emotionally. Thats probably been the hardest thing about watching her so far. Youre not falling for yourself, if you have a mistake the whole team suffers.
Their parents could not afford to travel out to Beijing to watch Becky at the Olympics in 2008 but will be in Rio. All competitors get a certain number of tickets for friends and family, says Becky. But as theres two of us we get double so thats a bit of a bonus.
One of the many advantages of going to the Olympics with your sister.
Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/olympics_2016/article-3716169/Sister-Act-Siblings-best-friends-Becky-Ellie-Downie-ready-lead-Great-Britain-s-best-Olympics-gymnastics-team-ever.html
