European Gymnastics Championships: Becky Downie says selection is 'a step in the right direction'

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British gymnast Becky Downie performing connected  barsBecky Downie was crowned British champion connected bars successful March
Dates: 11-16 April Venue: Antalya, Turkey
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Two-time Olympian Becky Downie says her enactment for the European Championships is simply a "step successful the close direction" aft recovering from an Achilles injury.

Downie, 31, returns to the Great Britain squad for the lawsuit which starts successful Antalya, Turkey connected Monday.

It is her archetypal planetary contention since the World Championships successful 2021.

"I really saw the wounded arsenic a game-changer for my career," she said.

"Normally, an wounded similar that is career-ending but the squad truly trusted me. I've done capable grooming with injuries implicit the years to cognize what to do."

Downie ruptured her Achilles successful June 2022 and was expecting to beryllium sidelined for astir a year. But she returned to vie aft 9 months and won golden connected bars astatine the British Championships successful March.

After missing retired connected enactment for the Tokyo Olympics, Downie says she is targeting Paris 2024 and feels similar she has "a batch much to offer".

"I inactive emotion what I do, and I conscionable felt I had truthful overmuch much to springiness which is wherefore I chose to enactment successful the athletics [after injury]," she said.

"It was a large decision. But being British champion connected bars has fixed maine a batch of assurance going forward, and it's important for maine to get backmost connected the planetary stage, backmost successful the squad situation and I privation to marque definite I bask it."

Downie is joined successful the women's squad by satellite level champion Jessica Gadirova and satellite squad metallic medallists Alice Kinsella, Ondine Achampong and Georgia-Mae Fenton.

In the men's team, three-time Olympic golden medallist Max Whitlock returns aft taking a intelligence wellness interruption pursuing the Tokyo Games.

Harry Hepworth and Luke Whitehouse are making their debuts successful the lawsuit and are joined by world, European and Commonwealth medallists Jake Jarman and Courtney Tulloch.

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