Car crash leads British gymnast Ruby Stacey to make heartbreaking decision for upcoming World Championships

British gymnast Ruby Stacey announced a heartbreaking decision ahead of the FIG World Championships. The 20-year-old gymnast decided to withdraw due to an unexpected event.

Stacey was traveling to Lilleshall when she suffered a car accident. Though she didn't experience life-threatening injuries, Stacey decided to reevaluate her position.

She then withdrew from the selection event for the World Gymnastics Championships, which would be held in Jakarta, Indonesia, making her decision known via Instagram. Stacey shared the image of her damaged car as well as her position just after the accident, as she wrote:

"On the way up to Lilleshall, I was involved in a car accident - this means I will not be participating in the worlds selection event"

Screengrab of Ruby Stacey's Instagram story [Image Source: Ruby Stacey's Instagram]

Ruby Stacey participated in the European Championships this year, representing Great Britain in the team all-around event. The 20-year-old gymnast competed in the vault and uneven bars segments and helped the British team finish sixth overall. Stacey won a gold medal, a silver medal, and a bronze medal, respectively, at the English Championships held earlier this year.

Ruby Stacey's career highlights

All about Ruby Stacey, the artistic gymnast from Great Britain [Image Source: Getty]

Ruby Stacey is an emerging talent from Great Britain. The 20-year-old gymnast had been selected for the British gymnastics squad bound for the Paris Olympics last year as a reserve gymnast.

Born on March 10, 2005, Stacey proved her mettle as a gymnast very young. In 2018, she was selected for the Olympic Hopes Cup, where she represented Great Britain in the uneven bars and the floor exercise events. Stacey won the gold medal in the uneven bars and the bronze medal in the floor exercise, following which she was selected as a reserve gymnast for the 2019 Junior World Championships.

Stacey qualified for her first major tournament in 2021, when she was selected for this year's World Championships. The then-16-year-old gymnast even made it to the all-around finals, though she finished in 15th place overall.

Apart from being selected as a reserve gymnast for the Paris Olympics 2024, Ruby Stacey also won a gold and a silver medal at the Varna World Challenge Cup this year. She won the gold medal in the vault event and the silver medal in the uneven bars event, respectively.

About the author

Animesh Pandey is a seasoned content writer at Sportskeeda with over eight years of experience, having previously worked as an intern for Follow Your Sport before joining SK as a columnist in 2017. A graduate with a Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing, he also worked at TFI Media Private Limited and contributed as an intern for the movie website Nettv4u.

He has extensively covered events from World Championships to the Olympics, providing insights and analyses that resonate with his audience. His belief in mastering the basics and delivering accurate, relevant, and ethical information through thorough research is reflected in his work.

He was notably invited to the National Sports and Adventure Awards 2018 at Rashtrapati Bhavan after winning a MyGov quiz on Indian Sports, where he engaged with celebrated athletes such as Rahi Sarnobat, Hima Das, Jinson Johnson, Saikhom Mirabai Chanu, and Subedar Neeraj Chopra, who also happens to be his favorite Olympian.

Despite being a field hockey enthusiast, Animesh's most cherished Olympic moments include Wayde Van Niekerk's unexpected world record in the 400 meters at Rio and Chopra's historic gold medal in Tokyo.

When not immersed in writing or watching the Olympics, Animesh indulges in his love for movies, embracing quality cinema regardless of the language.

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Edited by Samya Majumdar