Cricketer Josh Downie, 24, brother of Great Britain’s Olympian gymnasts – Becky and Ellie - died after suffering a heart attack while playing cricket in Birkenhead, near Liverpool. (More Cricket News)
Josh, who was a PE teacher and a keen cricketer, was rushed to the hospital after collapsing in the nets on May 6. The doctors tried to revive him but were unsuccessful, BBC reported.
His mother Helen said, “His death has left a massive hole in our lives.”
She described Josh as a bubbly, outgoing, sociable and caring. Josh’s former club Burton also paid a tribute to Josh and said, “Our heart goes out to Josh’s family at this difficult time.”
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Becky, an Olympian gymnast, posted a tribute to her late brother.
In a tweet she wrote, “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.
The Great Britain’s gymnastics trials for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics were also postponed so as to give both Becky and Ellie some time to grieve and have a best chance of qualifying for the Games.
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Becky has represented Great Britain since 2006 and has 14 medals including two gold medals from 2014 and 16 European Championships. She also has a gold from 2014 Commonwealth Games. Both Becky and Ellie won silver and bronze medals in the 2019 World Championships.
