Badminton World Championships to serve as a great test for English shuttlers – Badminton News
The upcoming event of 2011 Badminton World Championships will serve as a great test for English shuttlers, as the tournament will be a golden opportunity for shuttlers to make a mark by delivering tremendous performances. The mega event is set to take place
at the Wembley Arena in London, England.
Gail Emms, the silver medallist at the 2004 Athens Olympics in the Mixed Doubles category, said that the good performance of the British shuttlers will give them confidence to perform well at the 2012 London Olympics, which will also take place at the Wembley
Arena, in the upcoming year.
The former top seed of England, Emms, also said that shuttlers can send a strong message to the top badminton nations by proving their worth in the World Championships. Emms added, “If our players can have a really good championship, they will impose themselves
on the world stage. It will show the other nations that we are ready to win medals. It's vital to get confidence going but also to get some qualification points because no one is guaranteed a spot at the Olympics yet.”
In the mega event, Nathan Robertson, the former Mixed Doubles partner of Emms, will participate in the tournament with his partner, Jenny Wallwork. The 34-year-old Robertson has a chance to win a medal in the world meet, as he possesses extensive experience
of international badminton.
While talking about the prospects of Wallwork in the World Championships, Emms said that the shuttler will be under pressure as it is the qualification period for the London Olympics. Emms said, “Jenny has been playing world-level tournaments since she was
18 but this is the Olympic qualification period so it adds that extra pressure.”
However, Emms is optimistic that Robertson will help her partner in reducing the pressure as he has done it before, at the 2004 Athens Olympics. If local shuttlers perform well in the home event next month, they will gain immense confidence to perform well
at the Olympic Games.
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