British gymnast Ellie Downey retires at 23 for ‘mental health and well-being’

London – British former gymnast Ellie Downey retired Monday at the age of 23 to prioritize her “mental health and well-being.”

“With a heavy heart and mixed emotions, today is the day I announce my retirement from gymnastics! I have made a decision. Prioritize your mental health and happiness,” Downey posted on Twitter.

“Gymnastics has been my life for as long as I can remember and I am proud of all that I have been fortunate enough to achieve in this sport.

“Competing for Great Britain and winning medals means everything and more to me and I will miss it immensely,” she added.

During her career, Downey won 12 medals, including gold in the all-around category, at the 2017 European Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Cluj-Napoca, Romania.

In 2021, his older brother Josh died after suffering a heart attack while training for cricket.

Following the sudden death of his brother, Great Britain international Downey did not compete in the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, which were postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ellie and sister Becky say abuse in British gymnastics has been “completely normalized” in 2020. – agency