On this day in 2017: Ellie Downie makes British gymnastics history
The then 17-year-old won European all-around gold in Romania.
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Your support makes all the difference.Ellie Downie became the first British gymnast to be crowned a European all-around champion on this day in 2017.
The then 17-year-old trailed Hungary’s Zsofia Kovacs throughout the competition but produced a stunning final floor routine to claim victory by just 0.333 of a point in Romania.
Downie said: “It was a fight for me out there because I was always second, but I knew when I saw her floor score come in that I had done better than that in qualification.
“Obviously I was aware of where I was standing throughout but I tried to ignore her scores and just focus on myself.
“It was just crazy when I discovered I’d won and I don’t think it will sink in for a while.
“I’ve definitely surprised myself in the last couple of weeks. I had to have two weeks off after the British Championships because I had to rest my foot, so to come out here and win gold is amazing really.”
Downie qualified for all five finals at the meet and went on to add two silver medals and a bronze to her haul.
She won 12 international medals in total during her senior career, including two world championship bronzes.
Earlier this year, Downie announced her retirement from gymnastics aged 23 to “prioritise her mental health and happiness”.