20-Year-Old International Gymnastics Star Lands Into an Horrible Accident Right Before Important Event

This British Olympian’s career had been on a steady rise after serving as an Olympic reserve in Paris. In the years that followed, she collected a series of medals that underlined her consistency and potential. A bronze at the 2022 World Challenge Cup, a silver on uneven bars at the 2024 British Championships, and a vault gold at the 2025 Varna World Challenge Cup all suggested an athlete stepping confidently into the international spotlight. By May 2025, she had rounded out her medal collection at the English Championships, including bars gold, and had helped Great Britain finish sixth at the European Championships in Leipzig. The trajectory was clear, but the season took a sudden and unwelcome turn.

The 20-year-old from Plymouth, Ruby Stacey, had been competing with authority through the first half of 2025. At the Varna World Challenge Cup, Stacey defeated a strong vault field and finished second to Nola Matthews on uneven bars. Two weeks later, she represented Great Britain at the European Championships alongside Ruby Evans, Alia Leat, Francesca Stone, and Emily Roper, where she contributed on vault and bars. Her work in Leipzig showed technical refinement and resilience, qualities that placed her firmly in the conversation for selection at future world competitions. However, what had just unfolded might be a major barrier in her gymnastics journey this season.

Her forward momentum was abruptly interrupted on the way to Lilleshall. “On the way up to Lilledhall I was involved in a car accident – this means I will not be participating in the worlds selection event :(,” she revealed in an Instagram story. The post was accompanied by a photo of her Audi with the rear severely damaged and another showing visible swelling and redness across her face and forehead—clear signs of injury from the crash.

This unfortunate incident came just as her career appeared to be reaching a new level of stability. Her 2025 medal haul already included vault gold, bars silver, and floor bronze at the English Championships, adding to an already impressive national and international résumé. These results followed a year in which she won silver on uneven bars at the British Championships and served as an Olympic reserve—experiences that offered both motivation and perspective. Her current sidelining denies her the chance to test herself again on the world stage, where her bars and vault routine execution had made her one of Britain’s most dependable gymnasts.

She has already demonstrated resilience, having placed 15th all-around at the 2021 World Championships in Kitakyushu at just 16 years old, and has maintained her senior status since. The coming months will reveal how quickly she recovers from the accident, but her performance prior to May 2025 had already secured her place among British gymnastics’ rising stars.

Rebeca Andrade delays return, won’t compete in 2025 gymnastics world championships.

Rebeca Andrade confirmed that she would not be seen on the competition floor in 2025, choosing instead to prolong her time away from gymnastics until 2026. The Brazilian star, who reached the peak of her career with Olympic gold in Paris, explained that the need for rest guided her decision after years of relentless preparation and performance. “I’m resting. It’s been very important to me,” she told Globo, emphasising that the pause was long overdue and deeply necessary.

Her absence from the upcoming World Championships in Jakarta left a significant gap in the field, as she had been a defining presence at every major international competition since her rise in 2015. This marked the first extended interlude of her senior career, and Andrade made clear that she intended to use the time deliberately rather than hastily return. She noted that she would no longer compete on floor exercise, stating, “If you ask me today, it’s something that’s 100 per cent resolved. I don’t want to do it.” That choice underlined the extent to which her body and priorities had shifted since the Olympic season.

With Andrade stepping back, the competitive landscape looked markedly altered. The withdrawal of Simone Biles and Sunisa Lee from the season compounded the effect, creating a rare opening for other athletes to ascend. She framed her stance simply, “I don’t want to show up and just do anything; I want to show up to do the best of my ability.” Andrade’s decision carried weight not only for her own career but for the shape of the sport itself, as one of its most accomplished figures elected to preserve longevity over immediate accolades.