Team England has named a full complement of 10 badminton players who will represent the nation at the Commonwealth Games this coming April, in Australia’s Gold Coast - and eight are from Milton Keynes.
England’s badminton stars will travel to Australia with royal backing, after members of the squad recently enjoyed a private invitation with HRH Prince Andrew, Duke of York, at Buckingham Palace.
HRH Prince Andrew, patron of Badminton England, chatted with each of the players and wished the team well ahead of the individual competition and team events at the Games.
Six of England’s badminton ten for Gold Coast 2018, which starts on 4 April, were part of that medal winning team who collected five medals, including gold, from the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
World bronze medallists Chris and Gabby Adcock will look to defend their mixed doubles title that they won in Glasgow. The married couple will be joined by reigning European champion Rajiv Ouseph, who, like the Adcocks will be competing in his third Games.
Glasgow 2014 medallists Chris Langridge, Sarah Walker and five-time national champion Lauren Smith are also named alongside Rio 2016 Olympic bronze medallist Marcus Ellis.
Langridge won double silver and bronze at Glasgow 2014, whilst Smith marked her debut games with individual bronze and team silver medals.
They are joined by four players making their Commonwealth Games debut – including three reigning national champions. 2017 mixed doubles champions Ben Lane and Jess Pugh make the plane to Australia, alongside national singles champion Chloe Birch.
English badminton has a rich heritage of winning medals for Team England at the Commonwealth Games and tops the all-time record table with over 100 medals.
Gabby Adcock, World bronze medallist and reigning Commonwealth Games champion, said: “I feel really proud and honoured to be able to represent Team England again at another Commonwealth Games. We met HRH Prince Andrew earlier this week which was an absolute honour for us all. He sent the whole team off with his best wishes which was amazing. I really can’t wait to hopefully go and defend my title in Australia.”
The Team England badminton squad in full is Chris Adcock, Ben Lane, Chris Langridge, Rajiv Ouseph, Gabby Adcock, Chloe Birch, Jess Pugh and Sarah Walker, all from Milton Keynes, together with Marcus Ellis and Lauren Smith.
As part of its plans to send the best prepared team to the Gold Coast, Commonwealth Games England will hold a 10-day preparation camp in Brisbane, create a dedicated performance centre inside the Commonwealth Games Village, and offer a full programme of support services.
Team England’s preparation camp for the Gold Coast will include a number of specially selected high-performance sports and support facilities that will enable athletes to continue training and complete their final preparations prior to entering the Commonwealth Games Village.
The dedicated performance centre will be at the heart of Team England’s headquarters inside the Commonwealth Games Village. It will provide an enhanced environment in the Village for athletes, coaches and support staff, where the team will have access to dedicated doctors, physios and a full range of clinical, rehabilitation, preparation services, kit, equipment, stretching and R&R areas.
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