At just 17 years old, Ellie Downie has already had a lifetime’s worth of experience with a Summer Olympics and a European Championships gold medal under her belt.

The Nottingham gymnast has enjoyed a rapid rise and is now ready to gain more experience in her first ever Commonwealth Games.

After becoming the first British woman to win an all-around gold in an international competition at the 2017 European Championships, her next mission is to conquer at Gold Coast 2018.

She said: “I’m definitely excited for the Commonwealth Games. It’s the one major competition I haven’t yet had the opportunity to compete in.

“My sister, Becky, has competed twice for Team England and really enjoyed it so I would love to hopefully join her in the England line-up on the Gold Coast.”

Older sister Becky Downie is a double European champion and was a 2014 Commonwealth Games champion on the uneven bars.

She will be just one of the many gymnasts that Ellie will be competing with for a coveted place in Team England’s squad.

Ellie said: “There’s always huge competition to get into the Great Britain squad and it will be no different with Team England.

“All of the girls that competed for Team GB in Rio were English so that shows the competition.

“If you add that to the wider GB squad and some new senior gymnasts it’s going to be really tough.

“I approach it like any other competition, hoping to do my best in the trials and see where that takes me.”

It’s extraordinary to think that Ellie already has experience of a multi-games competition having competed at Rio 2016.

She believes her experience there will hold her in good stead if she makes the trip Down Under for Gold Coast 2018.

She said: “Rio was an incredible experience and I learnt a huge amount.

“The multi-sport environment is very inspirational as you see incredible athletes from different sports and different nations and that really helps motivate you.

“There’s also the chance to see how people prepare for competition which you can learn from.

“I think the Rio experience will definitely help me if I’m selected for the Commonwealth Games.”