Milngavie badminton star celebrates double victory
BADMINTON star Imogen Bankier was celebrating after winning the mixed doubles for a fourth year in a row and the women's doubles for a third consecutive year at the Scottish National Championships on Sunday.
Imogen was competing in the mixed event in Perth with Watson Briggs, and they beat Longniddry's Paul Van Rietvelde and Edinburgh's Jillie Cooper 21-17, 21-15 in the final.
In the women's doubles, Bankier (22), from Milngavie, teamed up with Emma Mason to defeat the women's singles champion Susan Egelstaff, and Linda Sloan, 21-16, 21-16.
However, the top seeded player, who is a full-time athlete and member of the GB squad at their training headquarters in Milton Keynes, did admit she was concerned she might not be up to the challenge this year following a long lay-off due to a knee injury.
Speaking to Herald Sport, Imogen said: "It was great to win at the Scottish Nationals, which are a real highlight in the badminton calendar, but my expectations had not been that high because I had been out of action between June and November last year with an patellar tendon injury to my right knee."
The injury was caused through over training over a long period of time, although it did not seem to have affected her performance at the weekend.
Imogen added: "I have been getting injections, and this week I'll receive the last one.
"They have been helping, although it is still too early to tell whether the has cleared up completely. If it doesn't then the last resort is surgery."
Despite her recovering injury Bankier said she had felt that progressing through the women's doubles was "really comfortable".
On the mixed doubles finals she said: "It was supposed to be a really tough match, but we were quite organised. It was a good win."
Bankier is now gearing up for the ladies' doubles at The Uber Cup, an all woman competition, in Warsaw next week.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Milngavie
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 11 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 13 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: East
