For most people, the week beginning August 15 will be remembered as the week of the London riots. For Glasgow’s Imogen Bankier and England’s Chris Adcock it was the week that could change their lives – for the right reasons. 

Nestled in the safety of Wembley Arena, the mixed doubles pair swept past a string of seeds and completely upset the odds by reaching the final.

It came down to one match for gold – and the world No.1 pair from China, Nan Zhang and Yumlei Zhao, finally ended the dream with a 21-15 21-7 victory. But the silver medals provided the perfect motivation for the next eight months race towards Olympic selection. 

For Bankier, it was a place in Scottish sporting history. The 23-year-old is the first Scot to reach a World Championship final. The previous best result was a bronze for Billy Gilliland and Joanna Flockhart in the mixed at the inaugural Championships in Malmo in 1977. 

Robert Blair did win a silver in the men’s doubles in 2006 – but that was during the seven year period spent paying for England. 

“We never expected to win but it has been a huge boost in trying to qualify for the Olympics,” said Bankier. “But there is still an awful lot of tournaments to be played before the May 1 selection date

“We’re going to China and Japan next month and there are going to be four trips to Asia before Christmas. 

“At the moment, we are back to the GB training centre at Milton Keynes. It’s going to be hard to repeat Wembley, but the goal is to become consistent and start at least reaching quarter and semi-finals at all the major tournaments.”

Bankier and Adcock went into the Championships unseded. They emerged as world beaters. The Bank of Scotland Scottish International Champions swept past the eighth, 15th, fourth and second seeds and dropped only one game on the way to the final. 

They now face a battle with England’s Nathan Robertson, the former Olympic silver medalist and World Champion, and Jenny Wallwork, in the bid to represent Team GB at next year’s Olympic Games. 

Following the wonders of Wembley, the English pair were ranked No. 11 – Bankier and Adcock moved up four places to No. 16. 

For Bankier, who gave up a law degree four years ago in order to become a full-time badminton player, it was a reward for belief, commitment and hard work. “It was a terrific experience on a world stage,” she said. “To play so well at Wembley is really good for our confidence. All week, the atmosphere was electric and, hopefully, all the GB players will now up their training and it will be a good Olympic year. 

“We hope to go one better in 12 months’ time (and win the gold medal). It’s a silver medal and a stepping stone to London 2012.”

For Badminton Scotland, it was a brilliant week and a perfect way to mark the 100th Anniversary season and Anne Smillie, the Chief Executive of Badminton Scotland, commented: “Imogen and Chris have made it such a great week for our sport. They have proved that they are a world-class mixed couple and, with the Olympics just a year away, it is a huge boost.”

Gareth McKenna, Scotland’s Performance Manager, was just as enthusiastic. “We are so proud of them both. It is a great shot in the arm for the GB programme and all the coaches involved. It is also great for Scottish badminton a reward for the hard work put in by the coaches and all those involved with the performance programme.” 

EB

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