Nickname
Ellie, The Double Downies [in reference to Elissa and her sister Rebecca]. (Instagram profile, 11 Oct 2018; theguardian.com, 25 Apr 2015)
Hobbies
Watching movies and TV series, cosmetics, shopping, listening to podcasts. (shiftmovementscience.com, 26 Apr 2022; gymnasticsexpress.co.uk, 25 Aug 2022)
Spoken languages
English
Sporting relatives
Her older sister Rebecca has represented Great Britain in artistic gymnastics. She won gold on uneven bars at the 2016 European Championships in Bern, Switzerland. Her older brother Josh, who passed away in 2021, played cricket in the Nottinghamshire Premier League in England. (dailymail.co.uk, 09 May 2021; SportsDeskOnline, 12 Oct 2018; bbc.co.uk, 05 Jun 2016)
International senior debut
2015
Injuries
In January 2022 she tore the plantar plate and a lateral ligament in her foot during a training session. (wogymnast.com, 25 Jan 2022)
An ankle injury ruled her out of the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, QLD, Australia. She had surgery in April 2018 and returned to senior competition in September 2018. (Instagram profile, 04 Oct 2018; Twitter profile, 17 Apr 2018; intlgymnast.com, 10 Mar 2018, 02 Mar 2018)
She had ankle surgery in July 2017 and missed the 2017 World Championships in Montreal, QC, Canada. (bbc.co.uk, 01 Aug 2017)
In 2016 she fell on her neck and head during her floor routine in the team event at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. She was escorted out of the arena in a wheelchair but returned to competition to qualify for the all-around final. (dailystar.co.uk, 08 Aug 2017; express.co.uk, 11 Aug 2016; kget.com, 08 Aug 2016)
She underwent ankle surgery in the late part of 2014. (heraldscotland.com, 18 Jul 2015)
Start sporting career
She took up gymnastics at age three.
Reason for taking up the sport
She was enrolled in gymnastics classes to keep her entertained while her older sister Rebecca was practising.
Milestones
She became the first British artistic gymnast, male or female, to win the all-around European title when she claimed victory at the 2017 European Championships in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. (SportsDeskOnline, 12 Oct 2018; sportbirmingham.org, 30 Jan 2018)
She was a member of the first British artistic gymnastics team to win a medal in the women's team event at the world championships, claiming bronze at the 2015 edition in Glasgow, Scotland. (doubledownies.com, 20 Jul 2017; SportsDeskOnline, 12 Oct 2022)
Hero / Idol
US gymnast Aly Raisman, British gymnast [and her sister] Rebecca Downie. (Instagram profile, 11 Oct 2018; kveo.com, 29 Jul 2016)
Most influential person in career
Her mother, and her sister Rebecca. (shiftmovementscience.com, 26 Apr 2022; nottsgymnasticsacademy.co.uk, 2020)
Philosophy / Motto
"Always work hard because there will always be someone else working harder." (gymnasticsexpress.co.uk, 25 Aug 2022)
Awards
In 2022 she and her sister Rebecca both received an honorary doctor of sport degree from Nottingham Trent University in England. (wherewomenwork.com, 20 Apr 2022)
She was named Sportswoman of the Year at the 2018 British Ethnic Diversity Sports Awards. (bbc.co.uk, 24 Mar 2018)
She was named the 2017 Sunday Times Young Sportswoman of the Year. (british-gymnastics.org, 27 Oct 2017; doubledownies.com, 01 Jan 2017)
In 2015 she was named BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year. (bbc.co.uk, 20 Dec 2015)
In 2014 she was named Young Athlete of the Year at the Nottinghamshire Sports Awards in England. (hucknalldispatch.co.uk, 24 Jan 2014)
Additional information
RETIREMENT
In January 2023 she announced her retirement from competition. "With a heavy heart and an array of emotions, today is the day I announce my retirement from gymnastics. To say it's been a difficult decision is a massive understatement, but after a really tough last few years, I've made the decision to prioritise my mental health and happiness. Gymnastics has been my life for as long as I can remember and I'm proud of everything I was fortunate enough to achieve in the sport. Competing and winning medals for Great Britain has meant everything and more to me and I'll miss it enormously." (british-gymnastics.org, 23 Jan 2023; bbc.co.uk, 23 Jan 2023; skysports.com, 23 Jan 2023)
DEALING WITH ANXIETY
She has spoken about experiencing heightened anxiety related to competition since the 2019 European Championships in Szczecin, Poland. "I first felt it at the Europeans. It was the first time going into a competition with holding a title and trying to retain it. I felt so tired, nervous and panicking. I felt anxious and a psychologist asked me if I felt worried about retaining my title, and luckily he was there to have a chat with. I had a similar experience at the worlds and I crumbled in qualification, it was terrible. Anxiety got the better of me. Working through it it's just learning coping strategies and everyone is different." (shiftmovementscience.com, 26 Apr 2022)
BUSINESS
She co-founded a line of leotards with her sister Rebecca. The siblings have also run gymnastics experience days. "I've always loved fashion and design. The leotards stuff is so much fun." (Instagram team profile, 29 Aug 2022; Instagram profile, 11 Oct 2018; nottinghampost.com, 19 Oct 2019)
Last update : 2023-09-22
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