On this day in 2017: Ellie Downie makes British gymnastics history

Ellie Downie became the first British gymnast to be crowned European champion on this day in 2017.

The then 17-year-old trailed Hungarian Zsofia Kovacs throughout the competition, but pulled off an impressive final routine on the floor to claim victory by just 0.333 of a point in Romania.

Downie said: “It was a fight for me because I was always second, but I knew when I saw his floor score that he had done better than that in qualifying.

“Obviously, I was aware of where I was standing at all times, but I tried to ignore his scores and just focus on myself.

“It was crazy when I found out I had won and I don’t think I’ll settle for a while.

“I have definitely surprised myself in the last couple of weeks. I had to take two weeks off after the British Championships because I had to rest, so to come here and win gold is really amazing.”

Downie qualified for all five of the meet’s finals, adding two silver and one bronze medal to his haul.

He won 12 international medals in total during his senior career, including two world championship bronzes.

Earlier this year, Downie announced her retirement from gymnastics at age 23 to “prioritize her mental health and happiness.”