Jayce
Great Britain’s participation in the badminton competition at the Paris 2024 Olympics came to an end in the group stage as Kirsty Gilmour was defeated in straight games by He Bing Jiao.
Gilmour started the winner-takes-all clash confidently, leading for the majority of the first game and opening up a 20-16 lead.
However, He Bing Jiao saved all four game points and leveled the score before some epic rallies as the game went down to the wire.
The world number nine ultimately emerged victorious with a 24-22 win and carried that momentum into the second game, quickly establishing a 9-1 lead.
Gilmour fought back, but the deficit was too large to overcome, and the Chinese star secured a 21-8 victory in the second game, advancing to the knockout stages.
The Scottish player has exited at the group stage in three consecutive Olympics, but she leaves this one with a healthier sense of perspective, hoping it will stand her in good stead as she targets a fourth Olympics in Los Angeles.
“I’m really happy with the strides I’ve made,” she said.
“We decided not to put the weight of the world on this Olympic Games.
“This is by far the most prepared, confident, physically capable, and mentally capable I’ve ever been at an Olympics.
“I’ve leveled up each time, and this is the best badminton I’ve ever played at an Olympics. Maybe I’ll go for another one.”
Gilmour won their first two meetings with He Bing Jiao, but the last of those was at the 2017 World Championships, and she came into this latest encounter having lost their last four clashes.
The 30-year-old began with a determination to set the record straight, attributing her performance to a fresh mindset.
“It was always going to be a tough one, but we went into it with a clean slate,” she said.
“We’ve played each other a good few times; I won some at the start, but she has won the last few.
“We decided to wipe the slate clean and play against a faceless opponent, and I did that pretty well.
“I was delighted with how that first game went up until 20-16. I was disappointed at the change of ends and couldn’t dominate the net like I did in the first game.
“Her overheads were very powerful. I struggled a bit there.”
Ben Lane and Sean Vendy also exited at the group stage in the men’s doubles competition, but Gilmour believes there are reasons to be optimistic for British badminton.
“I’m still going, Ben and Sean have a few more in them, and we have some really good young players coming through,” she added.
“I’m going to take a good break, go on holiday with my girlfriend, and then I’ll hit the ground running.”
