Bex, Bexta, Beck, Becky, The Double Downies [a reference to Rebecca and her sister Elissa, who has also represented Great Britain in artistic gymnastics]. (Instagram profile, 04 Oct 2018; theguardian.com, 25 Apr 2015; NOC, 31 Jul 2008)

Athlete

English

Her sister Elissa Downie has represented Great Britain in artistic gymnastics, winning gold in the individual all-around at the 2017 European Championships in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. (intlgymnast.com, 02 Aug 2017; beckydownie.com, 15 May 2012; SportsDeskOnline, 27 Sep 2021)

She underwent ankle surgery in November 2018. (bbc.co.uk, 14 Nov 2018)

In August 2018 she sustained an injury in training during a dismount from the beam. The problem meant she missed the 2018 European Championships in Glasgow, Scotland. (british-gymnastics.org, 01 Aug 2018; bbc.co.uk, 01 Aug 2018)

In April 2017 she tore the cruciate ligament in her elbow and was unable to compete for over 12 months. (nottinghampost.com, 23 Mar 2018)

She was unable to vault in competition for two years between March 2012 and March 2014 due to a recurring foot injury. (nottinghampost.com, 17 Mar 2014)

In 2011 she suffered an Achilles tendon injury while training. (fulltwist.net, 29 Jan 2011)

She missed about three months with a stress fracture to her back earlier in her career. (NOC, 31 Jul 2008)

She took up the sport at age seven at the Bigwood Gymnastics Club in England. (doubledownies.com, 05 Aug 2016; NOC, 31 Jul 2008)

"Before gymnastics I studied ballet, tap and stage dance. The dancing didn't really work out for me so I decided to try gymnastics as a school friend did it." (doubledownies.com, 05 Aug 2016; NOC, 31 Jul 2008)

She was a member of the first British female artistic gymnastics team to win a medal at a world championships, claiming team bronze at the 2015 World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland. (doubledownies.com, 20 Jul 2017; SportsDeskOnline, 27 Sep 2021)

She has two or three strength sessions a week, which she combines with an hour-long cardio programme. (british-gymnastics.org, 09 Aug 2019)

Winning silver on uneven bars at the 2019 World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany. (nottinghampost.com, 13 Oct 2019)

Russian artistic gymnast Aliya Mustafina. (gymandnews.com, 08 Sep 2016)

"Sometimes being great isn't enough, you've got to be more than great. Growing up I didn't have an idol. I just loved my sport and wanted to be the best I could." [Serena Williams]. (Twitter profile, 25 Apr 2020)

In 2015 she was named Sportswoman of the Year at the British Ethnic Diversity Sports Awards in London, England. (nottinghampost.com, 23 Mar 2018)

She was named the 2006 Junior Sportswoman of the Year by BBC East Midlands. (BBC, 07 May 2008; beckydownie.com, 29 Jan 2008)

General
TOUGH TIMES
She considered retiring from the sport after the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. She decided to continue in the sport, but in 2017 she tore the cruciate ligament in her elbow and was out of action for over a year. "After Rio retiring was an option. I wasn't sure I had it in me to do it all again because Rio didn't go to plan. I had a potential medal-winning routine in Rio but made a small, costly error. The injury has been hard. I took time off after the Olympics and I'd never done that before, so that really helped me. If you're going to get a big injury, then when I did it was probably the best time, so soon after an Olympics." (nottinghampost.com, 23 Mar 2018)

RECORD BREAKER
In October 2017 she set a world record for the most aerial cartwheels performed on a balance beam in one minute. She completed 17 cartwheels in Nottingham, England, while being filmed by a British children's television show called 'Officially Amazing'. (Twitter profile, 27 Apr 2018)

BUSINESS
She has co-founded a line of leotards and runs gymnastics experience days with her sister and fellow gymnast Elissa Downie. "I've always loved fashion and design. The leotards stuff is so much fun." (Instagram team profile, 25 Sep 2021; nottinghampost.com, 23 Mar 2018)