Gail Emms
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Gail Elizabeth Emms MBE (born 23 July 1977) is a retired English badminton player who has achieved international success in doubles tournaments. A badminton player since the age of four, Emms was first chosen to represent England in 1995 and regularly played for her country until her retirement from professional sport in 2008.
Her best results were winning gold at the 2006 World Championships in Madrid, 2004 European Championships in Geneva, and a silver medal at the 2004 Olympic Games, partnering Nathan Robertson in the mixed doubles. At the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester she won a bronze medal with Joanne Goode in the women's doubles and won gold as part of the England team in the mixed team event. In the English National Championships she won the mixed doubles three times and the women's doubles twice.
Early life and career
Emms and Nathan Robertson reached the semi-finals of 1994 World Junior Championships held in Kuala Lumpur.[1] In 1998 she graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Sports Science from Kingston University.[2] After graduating Emms became a full-time professional badminton player with the help of national lottery funded grants paid to her by UK Sport.[3] Her father owned a building firm that collapsed in the recession of the late 1980s leading to a sudden decline in the family standard of living. Her mother, Janice Emms (née Barton), played for the unofficial England women's national football team. Her parents divorced while Emms was in her early teens.[4]
2004 Athens Summer Olympics
Emms competed in badminton at the 2004 Summer Olympics in women's doubles with partner Donna Kellogg. They defeated Koon Wai Chee and Li Wing Mui of Hong Kong in the first round but were defeated by Zhao Tingting and Wei Yili of China in the second round.
She also competed in mixed doubles with Robertson. They had a bye in the first round and defeated Björn Siegemund and Nicol Pitro of Germany in the second. In the quarterfinals, Emms and Robertson beat Chen Qiqiu and Zhao Tingting of China 15–8, 17–15 to advance to the semifinals. There, they beat Jonas Rasmussen and Rikke Olsen of Denmark 15–6, 15–12. In the final, they lost to the Chinese pair Zhang Jun and Gao Ling 1–15, 15–12, 12–15 to finish with the silver medal.
2006 Commonwealth Games
The 2006 Commonwealth Games brought Emms a silver in the team event, a bronze in the women's doubles (with Donna Kellogg) and a gold in the mixed doubles (with Nathan Robertson). An additional gold together with Robertson followed at the 2006 IBF World Championships.
2008 Beijing Summer Olympics
Emms participated in the women's doubles with partner Donna Kellogg only to be knocked out in the first round by the Chinese pair Wei Yili and Zhang Yawen. Emms then went on to win her first match in the mixed doubles with Nathan Robertson against the Chinese world number 2 pair. Emms and Robertson won the first game 21–16 before Gao Ling and her new partner Zheng Bo hit back to win the second 21–16. The British duo found themselves 12–17 down in the decider only to recover to win 21–19. Emms and Robertson lost out on a medal at the quarter final stage against the world number 10 pair and eventual gold medalist Lee Yong-dae and Lee Hyo-jung of South Korea.
Emms retired after the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.[5]
Later career
After 2008 Emms started a portfolio career and has engaged in badminton coaching, motivational speaking, media activities, TV commentary and product endorsements. The latter includes work for SKODA cars and Adidas. Emms has worked as a TV presenter and commentator for the BBC, Sky and BT Sport.[6] She has delivered talks on performance, teamwork and gender issues at events held by many prominent clients including the Ashridge Business School, Sainsbury's and the Thames Valley Police.
In 2013 she was appointed to the Badminton England coaching staff with a remit to develop young female prospects and mixed doubles pairs.[7] But loss of financial support for badminton from UK Sport in 2017 resulted in cutbacks to the coaching programmes which impacted on Emms' position.[8]
Emms has appeared on the sports-based panel show A Question of Sport and is a regular guest on Fighting Talk. On 6 March 2014, she appeared on Sport Relief's Top Dog with her dog Raffa, a Westie. They won their heat, and went on to win the semi-final against Jenni Falconer on 20 March and the final, where they competed against Sally Gunnell.Template:Fact
Personal life
Emms was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2009 Birthday Honours for services to badminton.[9]
She gave birth to her first child, Harry, in March 2010 and to her second child, Oliver, in May 2013. In 2015 she was living in Milton Keynes with her partner. After retiring as a badminton player in 2008 Emms has periodically suffered from depression.[10][11] She has spoken about the difficulty many professional athletes have in adjusting to life after retiring from their sport while still young.[12]
Emms is a passionate supporter of Tottenham Hotspur.[13] She participated in the 2017 Great North Run half marathon in order to raise money for SportsAid, finishing in a time of 1 hour and 48 minutes.[14]
Achievements
Olympic Games
Mixed doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Goudi Olympic Hall, Athens, Greece | Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson | Template:Flagicon Zhang Jun Template:Flagicon Gao Ling |
1–15, 15–12, 12–15 | File:Silver medal.svg Silver |
World Championships
Mixed doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Palacio de Deportes de la Comunidad, Madrid, Spain | Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson | Template:Flagicon Anthony Clark Template:Flagicon Donna Kellogg |
21–15, 21–12 | Gold Gold |
Commonwealth Games
Women's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Bolton Arena, Manchester, England | Template:Flagicon Joanne Goode | Template:Flagicon Ang Li Peng Template:Flagicon Lim Pek Siah |
4–7, 8–6, 6–8, 4–7 | File:Med 3.png Bronze |
| 2006 | Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Melbourne, Australia | Template:Flagicon Donna Kellogg | Template:Flagicon Trupti Murgunde Template:Flagicon Saina Nehwal |
21–14, 21–9 | Bronze Bronze |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Melbourne, Australia | Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson | Template:Flagicon Daniel Shirley Template:Flagicon Sara Petersen |
21–17, 21–10 | Gold Gold |
European Championships
Women's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Maaspoort Sports and Events, Den Bosch, Netherlands | Template:Flagicon Donna Kellogg | Template:Flagicon Nicole Grether Template:Flagicon Juliane Schenk |
21–12, 21–10 | Gold Gold |
| 2008 | Messecenter, Herning, Denmark | Template:Flagicon Donna Kellogg | Template:Flagicon Lena Frier Kristiansen Template:Flagicon Kamilla Rytter Juhl |
18–21, 18–21 | Silver Silver |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Baltiska Hallen, Malmö, Sweden | Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson | Template:Flagicon Jens Eriksen Template:Flagicon Mette Schjoldager |
5–7, 3–7, 1–7 | Silver Silver |
| 2004 | Queue d’Arve Sport Center, Geneva, Switzerland | Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson | Template:Flagicon Jonas Rasmussen Template:Flagicon Rikke Olsen |
15–3, 8–15, 15–5 | Gold Gold |
| 2008 | Messecenter, Herning, Denmark | Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson | Template:Flagicon Robert Mateusiak Template:Flagicon Nadieżda Kostiuczyk |
21–14, 10–21, 6–21 | Bronze Bronze |
World University Championships
Women's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Strasbourg, France | Template:Flagicon Tracey Hallam | Template:Flagicon Chen Li-chin Template:Flagicon Tsai Hui-min |
12–15, 17–15, 11–15 | Bronze Bronze |
| 1998 | Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey | Template:Flagicon Sara Hardaker | Template:Flagicon Chen Li-chin Template:Flagicon Tsai Hui-min |
Bronze Bronze |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Strasbourg, France | Template:Flagicon Richard Doling | Template:Flagicon Kim Young-gil Template:Flagicon Choi Ma-ree |
7–15, 15–12, 7–15 | Silver Silver |
| 1998 | Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey | Template:Flagicon Lee Clapham | Template:Flagicon Liang Yongping Template:Flagicon Liu Lu |
Bronze Bronze |
World Junior Championships
Mixed doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Kuala Lumpur Badminton Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson | Template:Flagicon Zhang Wei Template:Flagicon Qiang Hong |
14–17, 5–15 | Bronze Bronze |
European Junior Championships
Girls' doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Športová hala Olympia, Nitra, Slovakia | Template:Flagicon Ella Miles | Template:Flagicon Natalia Djachkova Template:Flagicon Ella Karachkova |
Bronze Bronze |
BWF Superseries
The BWF Superseries, which was launched on 14 December 2006 and implemented in 2007,[15] is a series of elite badminton tournaments, sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). Successful players are invited to the Superseries Finals, which are held at the end of each year.
Mixed doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Malaysia Open | Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson | Template:Flagicon Zheng Bo Template:Flagicon Gao Ling |
12–21, 21–14, 15–21 | Script error: No such module "sort". Runner-up |
| 2007 | Denmark Open | Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson | Template:Flagicon He Hanbin Template:Flagicon Yu Yang |
17–21, 21–19, 17–21 | Script error: No such module "sort". Runner-up |
- <templatestyles src="Legend/styles.css" /> BWF Superseries Finals tournament
- <templatestyles src="Legend/styles.css" /> BWF Superseries tournament
IBF World Grand Prix
The World Badminton Grand Prix has been sanctioned by the International Badminton Federation from 1983 to 2006.
Women's doubles
Mixed doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | U.S. Open | Template:Flagicon Ian Sullivan | Template:Flagicon Jonas Rasmussen Template:Flagicon Jane F. Bramsen |
15–8, 11–15, 13–15 | Script error: No such module "sort". Runner-up |
| 2000 | German Open | Template:Flagicon Ian Sullivan | Template:Flagicon Jonas Rasmussen Template:Flagicon Jane F. Bramsen |
3–15, 15–7, 4–15 | Script error: No such module "sort". Runner-up |
| 2001 | Dutch Open | Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson | Template:Flagicon Chris Bruil Template:Flagicon Lotte Jonathans |
7–5, 3–7, 7–3, 7–4 | Script error: No such module "sort". Winner |
| 2001 | Denmark Open | Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson | Template:Flagicon Tri Kusharjanto Template:Flagicon Emma Ermawati |
5–7, 1–7, 4–7 | Script error: No such module "sort". Runner-up |
| 2002 | Malaysia Open | Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson | Template:Flagicon Wang Wei Template:Flagicon Zhang Yawen |
11–9, 11–4 | Script error: No such module "sort". Winner |
| 2002 | Singapore Open | Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson | Template:Flagicon Kim Dong-moon Template:Flagicon Ra Kyung-min |
2–11, 10–13 | Script error: No such module "sort". Runner-up |
| 2003 | Thailand Open | Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson | Template:Flagicon Chen Qiqiu Template:Flagicon Zhao Tingting |
4–11, 11–8, 0–11 | Script error: No such module "sort". Runner-up |
| 2003 | Malaysia Open | Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson | Template:Flagicon Kim Dong-moon Template:Flagicon Ra Kyung-min |
6–15, 5–15 | Script error: No such module "sort". Runner-up |
| 2004 | Thailand Open | Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson | Template:Flagicon Sudket Prapakamol Template:Flagicon Saralee Thungthongkam |
8–15, 15–12, 15–11 | Script error: No such module "sort". Winner |
| 2004 | Denmark Open | Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson | Template:Flagicon Chen Qiqiu Template:Flagicon Zhao Tingting |
4–15, 11–15 | Script error: No such module "sort". Runner-up |
| 2005 | German Open | Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson | Template:Flagicon Lee Jae-jin Template:Flagicon Lee Hyo-jung |
12–15, 14–17 | Script error: No such module "sort". Runner-up |
| 2005 | All England Open | Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson | Template:Flagicon Thomas Laybourn Template:Flagicon Kamilla Rytter Juhl |
15–10, 15–12 | Script error: No such module "sort". Winner |
| 2005 | Swiss Open | Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson | Template:Flagicon Nova Widianto Template:Flagicon Liliyana Natsir |
17–14, 15–6 | Script error: No such module "sort". Winner |
| 2005 | Hong Kong Open | Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson | Template:Flagicon Xie Zhongbo Template:Flagicon Zhang Yawen |
8–15, 5–15 | Script error: No such module "sort". Runner-up |
| 2005 | China Open | Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson | Template:Flagicon Lee Jae-jin Template:Flagicon Lee Hyo-jung |
15–10, 15–10 | Script error: No such module "sort". Winner |
| 2006 | Swiss Open | Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson | Template:Flagicon Robert Blair Template:Flagicon Natalie Munt |
14–17, 15–7, 15–2 | Script error: No such module "sort". Winner |
| 2006 | All England Open | Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson | Template:Flagicon Zhang Jun Template:Flagicon Gao Ling |
15–12, 14–17, 1–15 | Script error: No such module "sort". Runner-up |
| 2006 | Singapore Open | Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson | Template:Flagicon Nova Widianto Template:Flagicon Liliyana Natsir |
16–21, 22–20, 21–23 | Script error: No such module "sort". Runner-up |
IBF International
Women's doubles
Mixed doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Hungarian International | Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson | Template:Flagicon Jürgen Koch Template:Flagicon Irina Serova |
6–15, 8–15 | Script error: No such module "sort". Runner-up |
| 1995 | Irish International | Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson | Template:Flagicon Julian Robertson Template:Flagicon Lorraine Cole |
4–15, 4–15 | Script error: No such module "sort". Runner-up |
| 1996 | Portugal International | Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson | Template:Flagicon James Anderson Template:Flagicon Emma Constable |
12–15, 15–13, 18–13 | Script error: No such module "sort". Winner |
| 1996 | Norwegian International | Template:Flagicon Julian Robertson | Template:Flagicon Jonas Rasmussen Template:Flagicon Ann-Lou Jørgensen |
9–6, 2–9, 9–5, 9–5 | Script error: No such module "sort". Winner |
| 1997 | Czech International | Template:Flagicon Ian Sullivan | Template:Flagicon Henrik Andersson Template:Flagicon Johanna Persson |
11–8, 9–4, 9–3 | Script error: No such module "sort". Winner |
| 1997 | Welsh International | Template:Flagicon Ian Sullivan | Template:Flagicon James Anderson Template:Flagicon Sara Sankey |
6–15, 14–17 | Script error: No such module "sort". Runner-up |
| 1998 | Czech International | Template:Flagicon Ian Sullivan | Template:Flagicon Anthony Clark Template:Flagicon Lorraine Cole |
4–15, 13–15 | Script error: No such module "sort". Runner-up |
| 1998 | Scottish International | Template:Flagicon Ian Sullivan | Template:Flagicon Michael Lamp Template:Flagicon Mette Schjoldager |
10–15, 15–11, 12–15 | Script error: No such module "sort". Runner-up |
| 1999 | Portugal International | Template:Flagicon Ian Sullivan | Template:Flagicon Björn Siegemund Template:Flagicon Karen Neumann |
11–15, 15–12, 8–15 | Script error: No such module "sort". Runner-up |
| 1999 | French Open | Template:Flagicon Ian Sullivan | Template:Flagicon Chen Gang Template:Flagicon Qin Yiyuan |
12–15, 12–15 | Script error: No such module "sort". Runner-up |
| 1999 | Australian International | Template:Flagicon Chris Hunt | Template:Flagicon Michael Keck Template:Flagicon Erica van den Heuvel |
9–15, 10–15 | Script error: No such module "sort". Runner-up |
| 1999 | Spanish International | Template:Flagicon Ian Sullivan | Template:Flagicon Fredrik Bergström Template:Flagicon Jenny Karlsson |
7–15, 15–13, 15–10 | Script error: No such module "sort". Winner |
| 2000 | Welsh International | Template:Flagicon Anthony Clark | Template:Flagicon Henrik Andersson Template:Flagicon Johanna Persson |
7–4, 7–1, 7–0 | Script error: No such module "sort". Winner |
| 2002 | BMW Open International | Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson | Template:Flagicon Mathias Boe Template:Flagicon Rikke Olsen |
11–9, 3–11, 11–9 | Script error: No such module "sort". Winner |
Record against selected opponents
Mixed doubles results with former partner Nathan Robertson against Superseries finalists, World Championships Semi-finalists, and Olympic quarterfinalists.[16]
<templatestyles src="Div col/styles.css"/>
- Template:Flagicon Chen Qiqiu & Zhao Tingting 3–4
- Template:Flagicon Zhang Jun & Gao Ling 4–4
- Template:Flagicon Zheng Bo & Gao Ling 0–3
- Template:Flagicon He Hanbin & Yu Yang 2–1
- Template:Flagicon Xie Zhongbo & Zhang Yawen 3–3
- Template:Flagicon Jens Eriksen & Mette Schjoldager 1–2
- Template:Flagicon Joachim Fischer Nielsen & Christinna Pedersen 1–0
- Template:Flagicon Thomas Laybourn & Kamilla Rytter Juhl 4–3
- Template:Flagicon Jonas Rasmussen & Rikke Olsen 4–1
- Template:Flagicon Michael Søgaard & Rikke Olsen 3–1
- Template:Flagicon Simon Archer & Joanne Goode 1–0
- Template:Flagicon Anthony Clark & Donna Kellogg 3–1
- Template:Flagicon Flandy Limpele & Vita Marissa 2–1
- Template:Flagicon Nova Widianto & Vita Marissa 2–3
- Template:Flagicon Nova Widianto & Liliyana Natsir 4–5
- Template:Flagicon Kim Dong-moon & Ra Kyung-min 0–5
- Template:Flagicon Lee Yong-dae & Lee Hyo-jung 1–2
- Template:Flagicon Robert Mateusiak & Nadieżda Zięba 2–1
- Template:Flagicon Fredrik Bergström & Johanna Persson 1–0
- Template:Flagicon Sudket Prapakamol & Saralee Thungthongkam 6–2
References
<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Kingston University alumni profiles
- ↑ Daily Telegraph, 5 February 2017 a hobby sport
- ↑ Women's Sport Trust Gail Emms
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ D&D promotional website Script error: No such module "webarchive".
- ↑ Daily Telegraph 22 October 2013, 'Sport in Brief'
- ↑ Daily Telegraph, 5 February 2017 a hobby sport
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".Script error: No such module "London Gazette util".
- ↑ Daily Mirror 21 March 2015 Olympic hero Gail Emms on depression
- ↑ The Mixed Zone 2 August 2017 I'm ashamed to admin I'm struggling Script error: No such module "webarchive".
- ↑ The Guardian, 10 October 2017 I lost my identity in badminton
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ The Great Run Company website Script error: No such module "webarchive".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Tournament results
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External links
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- Template:Olympedia
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Template:Footer World Champions Badminton Doubles Mixed Template:Footer All England Open Championships Badminton Doubles Mixed Template:Footer European Champions Badminton Doubles Women Template:Footer European Champions Badminton Doubles Mixed
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