Ellie Downie becomes first British gymnast to win all-around gold at a major championship

Ellie Downie from Nottingham has become the first ever British gymnast to take all-around gold in a major international championship.

The 17-year-old has been crowned the 2017 Women’s All-Around European Champion.

Ellie's performances across the vault, bars, beam and floor gave her a total score of 55.765 to take the title and break history.

She beat Hungary’s Zsofia Kovacs into silver position with 55.432 and France’s Melanie De Jesus Dos Santos into bronze with 55.065.

When the final score confirmed that she had taken the title she was overcome with emotion.

“I can hardly speak; I don’t even know how to start to describe how happy I am. It was the hardest competition I’ve ever done, after qualifying yesterday to pull it together and put in another four routines isn’t easy.

"My beam was a bit shaky and that got me worried, I didn’t watch anyone else’s floor routines I was just in my own world. Then once I got on the floor I just went for it, it wasn’t perfect so I was really nervous looking at the scores at the end.

When my name came up in gold I just broke down crying. As soon as I walked out of the arena Becky ran and hugged me and she had my family back home on the phone, I couldn’t say a word I was crying so much.”