Gail Emms

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Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:Infobox badminton player

Gail Elizabeth Emms MBE (born 23 July 1977) is a retired English badminton player who has achieved international success in doubles tournaments. 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 professional sport in 2008.

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. In the English National Championships she won the mixed doubles three times and the women's doubles twice.

Early life and career

Emms and Nathan Robertson reached the semi-finals of 1994 World Junior Championships held in Kuala Lumpur.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1998 she graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Sports Science from Kingston University.<ref>Kingston University alumni profiles</ref> After graduating Emms became a full-time professional badminton player with the help of national lottery funded grants paid to her by UK Sport.<ref>Daily Telegraph, 5 February 2017 a hobby sport</ref> Her father owned a building firm that collapsed in the recession of the late 1980s leading to a sudden decline in the family standard of living. Her mother, Janice Emms (née Barton), played for the unofficial England women's national football team. Her parents divorced while Emms was in her early teens.<ref>Women's Sport Trust Gail Emms</ref>

2004 Athens Summer Olympics

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 1–15, 15–12, 12–15 to finish with the silver medal.

2006 Commonwealth Games

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.

2008 Beijing Summer Olympics

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 Zhang Yawen. 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 and eventual gold medalist Lee Yong-dae and Lee Hyo-jung of South Korea.

Emms retired after the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Later career

After 2008 Emms started a portfolio career and has engaged in badminton coaching, motivational speaking, media activities, TV commentary and product endorsements. The latter includes work for SKODA cars and Adidas. Emms has worked as a TV presenter and commentator for the BBC, Sky and BT Sport.<ref>D&D promotional website Template:Webarchive</ref> She has delivered talks on performance, teamwork and gender issues at events held by many prominent clients including the Ashridge Business School, Sainsbury's and the Thames Valley Police.

In 2013 she was appointed to the Badminton England coaching staff with a remit to develop young female prospects and mixed doubles pairs.<ref>Daily Telegraph 22 October 2013, 'Sport in Brief'</ref> But loss of financial support for badminton from UK Sport in 2017 resulted in cutbacks to the coaching programmes which impacted on Emms' position.<ref>Daily Telegraph, 5 February 2017 a hobby sport</ref>

Emms has appeared on the sports-based panel show A Question of Sport and is a regular guest on Fighting Talk. On 6 March 2014, she appeared on Sport Relief's Top Dog with her dog Raffa, a Westie. They won their heat, and went on to win the semi-final against Jenni Falconer on 20 March and the final, where they competed against Sally Gunnell.Template:Fact

Personal life

Emms was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2009 Birthday Honours for services to badminton.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref>

She gave birth to her first child, Harry, in March 2010 and to her second child, Oliver, in May 2013. In 2015 she was living in Milton Keynes with her partner. After retiring as a badminton player in 2008 Emms has periodically suffered from depression.<ref>Daily Mirror 21 March 2015 Olympic hero Gail Emms on depression</ref><ref>The Mixed Zone 2 August 2017 I'm ashamed to admin I'm struggling Template:Webarchive</ref> She has spoken about the difficulty many professional athletes have in adjusting to life after retiring from their sport while still young.<ref>The Guardian, 10 October 2017 I lost my identity in badminton</ref>

Emms is a passionate supporter of Tottenham Hotspur.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She participated in the 2017 Great North Run half marathon in order to raise money for SportsAid, finishing in a time of 1 hour and 48 minutes.<ref>The Great Run Company website Template:Webarchive</ref>

Achievements

Olympic Games

Mixed doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
2004 Goudi Olympic Hall, Athens, Greece Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson Template:Flagicon Zhang Jun
Template:Flagicon Gao Ling 		1–15, 15–12, 12–15 File:Silver medal.svg Silver

World Championships

Mixed doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
2006 Palacio de Deportes de la Comunidad, Madrid, Spain Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson Template:Flagicon Anthony Clark
Template:Flagicon Donna Kellogg 		21–15, 21–12 Gold Gold

Commonwealth Games

Women's doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
2002 Bolton Arena, Manchester, England Template:Flagicon Joanne Goode Template:Flagicon Ang Li Peng
Template:Flagicon Lim Pek Siah 		4–7, 8–6, 6–8, 4–7 File:Med 3.png Bronze
2006 Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Melbourne, Australia Template:Flagicon Donna Kellogg Template:Flagicon Trupti Murgunde
Template:Flagicon Saina Nehwal 		21–14, 21–9 Bronze Bronze

Mixed doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
2006 Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Melbourne, Australia Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson Template:Flagicon Daniel Shirley
Template:Flagicon Sara Petersen 		21–17, 21–10 Gold Gold

European Championships

Women's doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
2006 Maaspoort Sports and Events, Den Bosch, Netherlands Template:Flagicon Donna Kellogg Template:Flagicon Nicole Grether
Template:Flagicon Juliane Schenk 		21–12, 21–10 Gold Gold
2008 Messecenter, Herning, Denmark Template:Flagicon Donna Kellogg Template:Flagicon Lena Frier Kristiansen
Template:Flagicon Kamilla Rytter Juhl 		18–21, 18–21 Silver Silver

Mixed doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
2002 Baltiska Hallen, Malmö, Sweden Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson Template:Flagicon Jens Eriksen
Template:Flagicon Mette Schjoldager 		5–7, 3–7, 1–7 Silver Silver
2004 Queue d’Arve Sport Center, Geneva, Switzerland Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson Template:Flagicon Jonas Rasmussen
Template:Flagicon Rikke Olsen 		15–3, 8–15, 15–5 Gold Gold
2008 Messecenter, Herning, Denmark Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson Template:Flagicon Robert Mateusiak
Template:Flagicon Nadieżda Kostiuczyk 		21–14, 10–21, 6–21 Bronze Bronze

World University Championships

Women's doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
1996 Strasbourg, France Template:Flagicon Tracey Hallam Template:Flagicon Chen Li-chin
Template:Flagicon Tsai Hui-min 		12–15, 17–15, 11–15 Bronze Bronze
1998 Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey Template:Flagicon Sara Hardaker Template:Flagicon Chen Li-chin
Template:Flagicon Tsai Hui-min 		Bronze Bronze

Mixed doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
1996 Strasbourg, France Template:Flagicon Richard Doling Template:Flagicon Kim Young-gil
Template:Flagicon Choi Ma-ree 		7–15, 15–12, 7–15 Silver Silver
1998 Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey Template:Flagicon Lee Clapham Template:Flagicon Liang Yongping
Template:Flagicon Liu Lu 		Bronze Bronze

World Junior Championships

Mixed doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
1994 Kuala Lumpur Badminton Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson Template:Flagicon Zhang Wei
Template:Flagicon Qiang Hong 		14–17, 5–15 Bronze Bronze

European Junior Championships

Girls' doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
1995 Športová hala Olympia, Nitra, Slovakia Template:Flagicon Ella Miles Template:Flagicon Natalia Djachkova
Template:Flagicon Ella Karachkova 		Bronze Bronze

BWF Superseries

The BWF Superseries, which was launched on 14 December 2006 and implemented in 2007,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> is a series of elite badminton tournaments, sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). Successful players are invited to the Superseries Finals, which are held at the end of each year.

Mixed doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result
2007 Malaysia Open Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson Template:Flagicon Zheng Bo
Template:Flagicon Gao Ling 		12–21, 21–14, 15–21 Template:Silver2 Runner-up
2007 Denmark Open Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson Template:Flagicon He Hanbin
Template:Flagicon Yu Yang 		17–21, 21–19, 17–21 Template:Silver2 Runner-up
Template:Color box BWF Superseries Finals tournament
Template:Color box BWF Superseries tournament

IBF World Grand Prix

The World Badminton Grand Prix has been sanctioned by the International Badminton Federation from 1983 to 2006.

Women's doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result
2000 U.S. Open Template:Flagicon Joanne Wright Template:Flagicon Emma Constable
Template:Flagicon Suzanne Rayappan 		15–7, 15–1 Template:Gold1 Winner
2002 Swiss Open Template:Flagicon Lotte Jonathans Template:Flagicon Lee Kyung-won
Template:Flagicon Ra Kyung-min 		1–7, 1–7, 1–7 Template:Silver2 Runner-up
2005 Korea Open Template:Flagicon Donna Kellogg Template:Flagicon Lee Hyo-jung
Template:Flagicon Lee Kyung-won 		Walkover Template:Silver2 Runner-up
2005 Thessaloniki Grand Prix Template:Flagicon Donna Kellogg Template:Flagicon Chor Hooi Yee
Template:Flagicon Lim Pek Siah 		17–14, 15–8 Template:Gold1 Winner
2005 Denmark Open Template:Flagicon Donna Kellogg Template:Flagicon Kumiko Ogura
Template:Flagicon Reiko Shiota 		6–15, 9–15 Template:Silver2 Runner-up
2006 Denmark Open Template:Flagicon Donna Kellogg Template:Flagicon Kamila Augustyn
Template:Flagicon Nadieżda Kostiuczyk 		20–22, 10–21 Template:Silver2 Runner-up

Mixed doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result
2000 U.S. Open Template:Flagicon Ian Sullivan Template:Flagicon Jonas Rasmussen
Template:Flagicon Jane F. Bramsen 		15–8, 11–15, 13–15 Template:Silver2 Runner-up
2000 German Open Template:Flagicon Ian Sullivan Template:Flagicon Jonas Rasmussen
Template:Flagicon Jane F. Bramsen 		3–15, 15–7, 4–15 Template:Silver2 Runner-up
2001 Dutch Open Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson Template:Flagicon Chris Bruil
Template:Flagicon Lotte Jonathans 		7–5, 3–7, 7–3, 7–4 Template:Gold1 Winner
2001 Denmark Open Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson Template:Flagicon Tri Kusharjanto
Template:Flagicon Emma Ermawati 		5–7, 1–7, 4–7 Template:Silver2 Runner-up
2002 Malaysia Open Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson Template:Flagicon Wang Wei
Template:Flagicon Zhang Yawen 		11–9, 11–4 Template:Gold1 Winner
2002 Singapore Open Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson Template:Flagicon Kim Dong-moon
Template:Flagicon Ra Kyung-min 		2–11, 10–13 Template:Silver2 Runner-up
2003 Thailand Open Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson Template:Flagicon Chen Qiqiu
Template:Flagicon Zhao Tingting 		4–11, 11–8, 0–11 Template:Silver2 Runner-up
2003 Malaysia Open Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson Template:Flagicon Kim Dong-moon
Template:Flagicon Ra Kyung-min 		6–15, 5–15 Template:Silver2 Runner-up
2004 Thailand Open Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson Template:Flagicon Sudket Prapakamol
Template:Flagicon Saralee Thungthongkam 		8–15, 15–12, 15–11 Template:Gold1 Winner
2004 Denmark Open Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson Template:Flagicon Chen Qiqiu
Template:Flagicon Zhao Tingting 		4–15, 11–15 Template:Silver2 Runner-up
2005 German Open Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson Template:Flagicon Lee Jae-jin
Template:Flagicon Lee Hyo-jung 		12–15, 14–17 Template:Silver2 Runner-up
2005 All England Open Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson Template:Flagicon Thomas Laybourn
Template:Flagicon Kamilla Rytter Juhl 		15–10, 15–12 Template:Gold1 Winner
2005 Swiss Open Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson Template:Flagicon Nova Widianto
Template:Flagicon Liliyana Natsir 		17–14, 15–6 Template:Gold1 Winner
2005 Hong Kong Open Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson Template:Flagicon Xie Zhongbo
Template:Flagicon Zhang Yawen 		8–15, 5–15 Template:Silver2 Runner-up
2005 China Open Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson Template:Flagicon Lee Jae-jin
Template:Flagicon Lee Hyo-jung 		15–10, 15–10 Template:Gold1 Winner
2006 Swiss Open Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson Template:Flagicon Robert Blair
Template:Flagicon Natalie Munt 		14–17, 15–7, 15–2 Template:Gold1 Winner
2006 All England Open Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson Template:Flagicon Zhang Jun
Template:Flagicon Gao Ling 		15–12, 14–17, 1–15 Template:Silver2 Runner-up
2006 Singapore Open Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson Template:Flagicon Nova Widianto
Template:Flagicon Liliyana Natsir 		16–21, 22–20, 21–23 Template:Silver2 Runner-up

IBF International

Women's doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result
1995 Welsh International Template:Flagicon Lotte Jonathans Template:Flagicon Elena Rybkina
Template:Flagicon Marina Yakusheva 		8–15, 4–15 Template:Silver2 Runner-up
1997 Austrian International Template:Flagicon Joanne Wright Template:Flagicon Karen Neumann
Template:Flagicon Nicol Pitro 		3–15, 15–10, 8–15 Template:Silver2 Runner-up
1997 Czech International Template:Flagicon Rebecca Pantaney Template:Flagicon Judith Baumeyer
Template:Flagicon Santi Wibowo 		9–2, 9–5, 9–1 Template:Gold1 Winner
1997 Norwegian International Template:Flagicon Rebecca Pantaney Template:Flagicon Jane F. Bramsen
Template:Flagicon Christina Sørensen 		5–9, 6–9, 2–9 Template:Silver2 Runner-up
1998 Czech International Template:Flagicon Joanne Wright Template:Flagicon Lorraine Cole
Template:Flagicon Tracy Dineen 		7–15, 6–15 Template:Silver2 Runner-up
1998 Irish International Template:Flagicon Joanne Wright Template:Flagicon Keelin Fox
Template:Flagicon Sonya McGinn 		17–16, 15–10 Template:Gold1 Winner
1999 Spanish International Template:Flagicon Joanne Davies Template:Flagicon Takae Masumo
Template:Flagicon Chikako Nakayama 		12–15, 11–15 Template:Silver2 Runner-up
1999 Welsh International Template:Flagicon Joanne Wright Template:Flagicon Irina Ruslyakova
Template:Flagicon Marina Yakusheva 		14–17, 14–17 Template:Silver2 Runner-up
2000 Welsh International Template:Flagicon Joanne Wright Template:Flagicon Ella Miles
Template:Flagicon Sara Sankey 		6–8, 4–7, 8–6, – Template:Silver2 Runner-up

Mixed doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result
1995 Hungarian International Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson Template:Flagicon Jürgen Koch
Template:Flagicon Irina Serova 		6–15, 8–15 Template:Silver2 Runner-up
1995 Irish International Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson Template:Flagicon Julian Robertson
Template:Flagicon Lorraine Cole 		4–15, 4–15 Template:Silver2 Runner-up
1996 Portugal International Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson Template:Flagicon James Anderson
Template:Flagicon Emma Constable 		12–15, 15–13, 18–13 Template:Gold1 Winner
1996 Norwegian International Template:Flagicon Julian Robertson Template:Flagicon Jonas Rasmussen
Template:Flagicon Ann-Lou Jørgensen 		9–6, 2–9, 9–5, 9–5 Template:Gold1 Winner
1997 Czech International Template:Flagicon Ian Sullivan Template:Flagicon Henrik Andersson
Template:Flagicon Johanna Persson 		11–8, 9–4, 9–3 Template:Gold1 Winner
1997 Welsh International Template:Flagicon Ian Sullivan Template:Flagicon James Anderson
Template:Flagicon Sara Sankey 		6–15, 14–17 Template:Silver2 Runner-up
1998 Czech International Template:Flagicon Ian Sullivan Template:Flagicon Anthony Clark
Template:Flagicon Lorraine Cole 		4–15, 13–15 Template:Silver2 Runner-up
1998 Scottish International Template:Flagicon Ian Sullivan Template:Flagicon Michael Lamp
Template:Flagicon Mette Schjoldager 		10–15, 15–11, 12–15 Template:Silver2 Runner-up
1999 Portugal International Template:Flagicon Ian Sullivan Template:Flagicon Björn Siegemund
Template:Flagicon Karen Neumann 		11–15, 15–12, 8–15 Template:Silver2 Runner-up
1999 French Open Template:Flagicon Ian Sullivan Template:Flagicon Chen Gang
Template:Flagicon Qin Yiyuan 		12–15, 12–15 Template:Silver2 Runner-up
1999 Australian International Template:Flagicon Chris Hunt Template:Flagicon Michael Keck
Template:Flagicon Erica van den Heuvel 		9–15, 10–15 Template:Silver2 Runner-up
1999 Spanish International Template:Flagicon Ian Sullivan Template:Flagicon Fredrik Bergström
Template:Flagicon Jenny Karlsson 		7–15, 15–13, 15–10 Template:Gold1 Winner
2000 Welsh International Template:Flagicon Anthony Clark Template:Flagicon Henrik Andersson
Template:Flagicon Johanna Persson 		7–4, 7–1, 7–0 Template:Gold1 Winner
2002 BMW Open International Template:Flagicon Nathan Robertson Template:Flagicon Mathias Boe
Template:Flagicon Rikke Olsen 		11–9, 3–11, 11–9 Template:Gold1 Winner

Record against selected opponents

Mixed doubles results with former partner Nathan Robertson against Superseries finalists, World Championships Semi-finalists, and Olympic quarterfinalists.<ref>Tournament results</ref>

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References

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Template:Footer World Champions Badminton Doubles Mixed Template:Footer All England Open Championships Badminton Doubles Mixed Template:Footer European Champions Badminton Doubles Women Template:Footer European Champions Badminton Doubles Mixed

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