Gail Emms
| Gail Emms | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birth name | Gail Elizabeth Emms | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 23 July 1977 Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  England |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Handedness | Right | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coach | Andy Wood, Julian Robertson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mixed & Women's Doubles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest Ranking | 1 (in XD) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current Ranking | 6 (in XD)[1] (17 April 2008) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Medal record
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| BWF Profile | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gail Elizabeth Emms MBE (born July 23, 1977 in Hitchin, Hertfordshire) is a retired English badminton player who has achieved international success in doubles tournaments.
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. She also took the World Badminton Grand Prix title in 2003 with Nathan Robertson. In the English National Badminton Championships she won the mixed doubles three times and the women's doubles twice.
Contents |
[edit] Early life
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 a sporting family, her mother represented England at football in the 1971 Women's World Cup. She also attended the Dame Alice Harpur School in Bedford, an exclusive private girls' school. In 1998 she graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Sports Science from Kingston University.[2] She is sponsored by badminton equipment company Wilson.
[edit] 2004 Summer Olympics Athens
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 15-1, 12-15, 15-12 to finish with the silver medal.
[edit] 2006
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.
[edit] 2008 Summer Olympics, Beijing
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 Zhao Tingting.
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 Lee Yong-dae and Lee Hyo-jung. The Korean pair then went on to win the gold medal.
Emms retired after the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.[3]
[edit] Personal life
Emms was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2009 Birthday Honours.[4]
Emms gave birth to her first child, a son, in March 2010.[5]
[edit] Record against selected opponents
Mixed Doubles results with former partner Nathan Robertson against Super Series finalists, Worlds Semi-finalists, and Olympic quarterfinalists.[6]
Chen Qiqiu & Zhao Tingting 3-4- Zhang Jun & Gao Ling 4-4
- Zheng Bo & Gao Ling 0-3
- He Hanbin & Yu Yang 2-1
- Xie Zhongbo & Zhang Yawen 3-3
Jens Eriksen & Mette Schjoldager 1-2- Joachim Fischer Nielsen & Christinna Pedersen 1-0
- Thomas Laybourn & Kamilla Rytter Juhl 4-3
- Jonas Rasmussen & Rikke Olsen 4-1
- Michael Søgaard & Rikke Olsen 3-1
Simon Archer & Joanne Goode 1-0- Anthony Clark & Donna Kellogg 3-1
Flandy Limpele & Vita Marissa 2-1- Nova Widianto & Vita Marissa 2-3
- Nova Widianto & Lilyana Natsir 4-5
Kim Dong-moon & Ra Kyung-min 0-5- Lee Yong-dae & Lee Hyo-jung 1-2
Robert Mateusiak & Nadiezda Zieba 2-1
Frederik Bergström & Johanna Persson 1-0
Sudket Prapakamol & Saralee Thoungthongkam 6-2
[edit] References
- ^ Badminton World Federation
- ^ http://www.kingston.ac.uk/alumni/made-in-kingston/profiles/Gail-Emms/
- ^ Emms to quit after Beijing Games
- ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 59090. p. 16. 13 June 2009.
- ^ EMMS JUNIOR - Gail gives Birth to Baby Boy
- ^ http://www.tournamentsoftware.com/profile/selectheadtohead.aspx?id=65644EE8-49BA-467D-80AB-01DD577F91B7
[edit] External links
- 1977 births
- Living people
- Badminton players at the 2004 Summer Olympics
- Badminton players at the 2008 Summer Olympics
- Badminton players at the 2002 Commonwealth Games
- Badminton players at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
- Commonwealth Games gold medallists for England
- Commonwealth Games silver medallists for England
- Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for England
- Commonwealth Games competitors for England
- English badminton players
- Olympic silver medalists for Great Britain
- Olympic badminton players of Great Britain
- People from Hitchin
- Commonwealth Games badminton players
- Members of the Order of the British Empire
- Olympic medalists in badminton
- People educated at Dame Alice Harpur School
