British gymnast Becky Downie has been given a special chance to qualify for her third Olympics after the sudden death of her brother Josh at a net cricket session.
Becky Downie, a World silver medallist, skipped last weekend’s final trial for Tokyo after her brother’s death.
“We felt it important in such an unprecedented situation to take time to look at how we might be able to grant an extension to the selection window to allow for a further opportunity to complete the trial,” British Gymnastics said in a statement on Thursday.
“In such difficult circumstances we feel strongly that this is the right thing to do,” the statement said.
The women’s Olympic selection process has been extended.
Read more on our website ➡️ https://t.co/6zsmaqX7Ru pic.twitter.com/JebPSyOnDr
— British Gymnastics (@BritGymnastics) May 13, 2021
Josh Downie, brother of Olympians Becky and Ellie, collapsed in the nets in Birkenhead, near Liverpool, on 6 May and was pronounced dead of a heart attack that evening.
In the tributes that followed, his former cricket club in Burton Joyce said he had the highest individual score by a player in its history. Josh played for several cricket clubs including Hucknall CC, Fikserton & Thurgarton CC, and Burton Joyce CC in Nottinghamshire.
The hardest 3 days of my life but I didn’t come this far to only come this far. I know Josh would want me to take it as far as I could go & I owe it to myself to finish what I started.
Doing it for us both 🤍 pic.twitter.com/TwPHMfksp6— Becky Downie (@Bdownie) May 10, 2021
Becky, 29, won silver on the uneven bars. at the 2019 Stuttgart world championships.
