Source: Oriental Image/Jiang Xu
[Saba Sports News] Following her failure to
qualify from the group stage in two consecutive Olympic Games, Scotland’s top
badminton player Kirsty Gilmour has addressed retirement speculations in an
interview. Gilmour mentioned that in her youth, she always had her focus on her
career, considering 30 to be a distant milestone. In a previous interview, she
had hinted at retiring at the age of 30. However, she clarified that she
currently has no plans to retire. Her goal is to compete in the Olympic Games
scheduled for Los Angeles four years from now, and she remains dedicated to
working hard towards that objective. Gilmour is currently ranked 24th in the
Badminton World Federation’s Paris points ranking. According to Olympic Games
regulations, the top 35 players in the Olympic points ranking will qualify for
participation. Gilmour was seeded 11th in the 2016 Rio Olympics but faced an
abbreviated preparation period due to a calf cartilage injury. At the Tokyo
Olympics five years later, she was placed in a group with Japanese player Akane
Yamaguchi, currently ranked fifth in the world. Despite never having defeated
Yamaguchi in her career, Gilmour was ultimately eliminated in the group stage.
Looking ahead to the Paris Olympics, Gilmour expressed her active preparations
for the 2024 European Team Championships, aiming for strong performances that
would secure her place as one of the 16 seeded players in the badminton women’s
singles event at the Paris Olympics. Her goal is to qualify from the group
stage.