Gail Elizabeth Emms MBE (born 23 July 1977) is a retired English

badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per side) and "doubles" (with two players p ...

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 The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

, partnering Nathan Robertson in the mixed doubles. At the

2002 Commonwealth Games The 2002 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XVII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Manchester 2002 were held in Manchester, England, from 25 July to 4 August, 2002. The 2002 Games were to be hosted in the United Kingdom to coin ...

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 attended the Dame Alice Harpur School in

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...

, a private girls' school. She and Nathan Robertson reached the semi-finals of 1994 World Junior Championships held in

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , sub ...

. In 1998 she graduated with a BSc (Hons) in

Sports Science Sports science is a discipline that studies how the healthy human body works during exercise, and how sport and physical activity promote health and performance from cellular to whole body perspectives. The study of sports science traditionally inc ...

from

Kingston University , mottoeng = "Through Learning We Progress" , established = – gained University Status – Kingston Technical Institute , type = Public , endowment = £2.3 m (2015) , ...

. After graduating Emms became a full-time professional badminton player with the help of national lottery funded grants paid to her by UK Sport. 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 The England women's national football team, also known as the Lionesses, have been governed by the Football Association (FA) since 1993, having been previously administered by the Women's Football Association (WFA). England played its first i ...

. Her parents divorced while Emms was in her early teens.

2004 Athens Summer Olympics

Emms competed in

badminton at the 2004 Summer Olympics Badminton at the 2004 Summer Olympics was held at the Goudi Olympic Hall at the Goudi Olympic Complex from 14 August through 21 August. Both men and women competed in their own singles and doubles events and together they competed in a mixed do ...

in women's doubles with partner Donna Kellogg. They defeated Koon Wai Chee and

Li Wing Mui Li Wing Mui ( Chinese: 李詠梅; Jyutping: lei5 wing6 mui4; Pinyin: Lǐ Yǒngméi) (born 19 September 1979) is a badminton player from Hong Kong. She competed in badminton at the 2004 Summer Olympics in women's doubles with partner Koon Wai Che ...

of Hong Kong in the first round but were defeated by

Zhao Tingting Zhao Tingting (; born 28 November 1982) is a Chinese badminton player from Nantong, Jiangsu. Career A doubles specialist, Zhao has often been a "utility player" on China's national team, winning international tournaments with a variety of compa ...

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

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 Zhang Yawen (; born 9 March 1985) is a badminton player from China. Career Zhang has specialized in women's doubles and mixed doubles, earning numerous international titles in both events. At various times she has partnered either Zhang Dan, ...

. 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 Zheng Bo (; born 26 November 1983) is a badminton player from Hunan, China. Career A doubles specialist, Zheng won men's doubles at the 2003 Indonesia Open with Sang Yang. Zheng and Sang also secured the winning point against Denmark in the ...

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 Lee Yong-dae (Hangul: 이용대; Hanja: 李龍大; ; born 11 September 1988) is a professional badminton player from South Korea who had been successful in both men's and mixed doubles. He reached world number 1 ranking with 4 different partners, ...

and Lee Hyo-jung of South Korea. Emms retired after the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

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. She has delivered talks on performance, teamwork and gender issues at events held by many prominent clients including the

Ashridge Business School Hult International Business School (also known as Hult Business School or Hult) is a private business school with campuses in Cambridge, London, San Francisco, Dubai, New York City, and Shanghai. Hult is named for the school's benefactor Bertil ...

Sainsbury's J Sainsbury plc, trading as Sainsbury's, is the second largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, with a 14.6% share of UK supermarket sales. Founded in 1869 by John James Sainsbury with a shop in Drury Lane, London, the company ...

and the

Thames Valley Police Thames Valley Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the Thames Valley, covering the counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. It the largest non-metropolitan police force in England and Wales, coverin ...

. In 2013 she was appointed to the Badminton England coaching staff with a remit to develop young female prospects and mixed doubles pairs. But loss of financial support for badminton from UK Sport in 2017 resulted in cutbacks to the coaching programmes which impacted on Emms' position. She has subsequently been critical of UK Sport's strategy in allocating funds, suggesting that its emphasis on elite level players and Olympic medal results is inappropriate. Emms has appeared on the sports-based panel show ''

A Question of Sport ''Question of Sport'' (previously ''A Question of Sport'') is a British television sports quiz show produced and broadcast by the BBC. It is the "world's longest running TV sports quiz". Following a pilot episode in December 1968, broadcast on ...

'' and is a regular guest on ''

Fighting Talk ''Fighting Talk'' is a topical sports show broadcast on BBC Radio 5 Live during the English football season. The show is broadcast on Saturday mornings for an hour between 1100 and 1200 and is based on a similar format to the ESPN show '' Around ...

''. 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 Jenni Falconer (born 12 February 1976) is a Scottish radio and television presenter. She appears on the ITV daytime show '' This Morning'' as a regular travel reporter and was a regular presenter of the National Lottery Draws on BBC One. She ...

on 20 March and the final, where they competed against

Sally Gunnell Sally Jane Janet Gunnell (born 29 July 1966) is a British former track and field athlete, active between 1984 and 1997, who won the 1992 Olympic gold medal in the 400 metres hurdles. During a golden 24-month period between 1992 and 1994, Gunn ...

Personal life

Emms was appointed

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(MBE) in the

2009 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 2009 were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as p ...

for services to badminton. 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. She has spoken about the difficulty many professional athletes have in adjusting to life after retiring from their sport while still young. Emms is a passionate supporter of

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The team has playe ...

. She participated in the 2017

Great North Run The Great North Run (branded the Simplyhealth Great North Run for sponsorship purposes) is the largest half marathon in the world, taking place annually in North East England each September. Participants run between Newcastle upon Tyne and South ...

half marathon in order to raise money for

SportsAid SportsAid is a UK charity that helps British athletes, typically 12-18 whose parents are their only other means of support. The charity helps these athletes by giving them cash awards to help them meet the cost of training and competing. Overview ...

, finishing in a time of 1 hour and 48 minutes.

Achievements

Olympic Games

''Mixed doubles''

World Championships

''Mixed doubles''

Commonwealth Games

''Women's doubles'' ''Mixed doubles''

European Championships

''Women's doubles'' ''Mixed doubles''

World University Championships

''Women's doubles'' ''Mixed doubles''

World Junior Championships

''Mixed doubles''

European Junior Championships

''Girls' doubles''

BWF Superseries

The BWF Superseries, which was launched on 14 December 2006 and implemented in 2007, 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'' : BWF Superseries Finals tournament : 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'' ''Mixed doubles''

IBF International

''Women's doubles'' ''Mixed doubles''

Record against selected opponents

Mixed doubles results with former partner Nathan Robertson against Superseries finalists, World Championships Semi-finalists, and Olympic quarterfinalists.Tournamen
results
/ref> * Chen Qiqiu &

3–4 * Zhang Jun & Gao Ling 4–4 *

& Gao Ling 0–3 * He Hanbin & Yu Yang 2–1 *

Xie Zhongbo Xie Zhongbo (; born 22 May 1983) is a former Chinese badminton player from Hunan and raised in Sichuan. After retired from the international tournament, he works as badminton coach in Sichuan. Career A doubles specialist on the world circuit, ...

3–3 * Jens Eriksen & Mette Schjoldager 1–2 *

Joachim Fischer Nielsen Joachim Fischer Nielsen (born 23 November 1978) is a Danish retired badminton player. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, he won the bronze medal in the mixed doubles with teammate Christinna Pedersen. He retired from the international tournament in th ...

Christinna Pedersen Christinna Pedersen (born 12 May 1986) is a Danish badminton player. Career Christinna Pedersen is a right-handed doubles specialist. From 2008 onwards, Pedersen paired with Joachim Fischer Nielsen in mixed doubles. The pair gained two Europ ...

1–0 * Thomas Laybourn &

Kamilla Rytter Juhl Kamilla Rytter Juhl (born 23 November 1983) is a retired Danish badminton player. Juhl is an Olympic silver medalist, World Championship gold medalist and seven times European champion as well. Career Rytter Juhl played as a left-handed doubl ...

4–3 * Jonas Rasmussen & Rikke Olsen 4–1 * Michael Søgaard & Rikke Olsen 3–1 * Simon Archer & Joanne Goode 1–0 * Anthony Clark & Donna Kellogg 3–1 * Flandy Limpele & Vita Marissa 2–1 *

Nova Widianto Andreas Nova Widianto (born 10 October 1977) is an Indonesian former badminton player. He is currently the Indonesia national team mixed doubles head coach. Career Nova Widianto is considered one of the greatest doubles player in his era. He i ...

& Vita Marissa 2–3 *

Liliyana Natsir Liliyana Natsir (born 9 September 1985) is an Indonesian former badminton player who specialized in doubles. She is one of the standout front court player, with dexterousness and skill in controlling and executing the shuttlecock. Natsir has tre ...

4–5 *

Kim Dong-moon Kim Dong-moon (Hangul: 김동문, Hanja: 金東文; born 22 September 1975) is a retired South Korean badminton player who won major titles between the mid-1990s and the mid-2000s (decade), and widely regarded as one of finest men's doubles and m ...

& Ra Kyung-min 0–5 *

& Lee Hyo-jung 1–2 * Robert Mateusiak &

Nadieżda Zięba Nadieżda "Nadia" Zięba (; : Kostiuczyk; born 21 May 1984) is a Polish retired badminton player of Belarusian origin. She won the mixed doubles gold medal at the 2012 European Championships. Zięba was three times mixed doubles quarter finalis ...

2–1 * Fredrik Bergström & Johanna Persson 1–0 * Sudket Prapakamol & Saralee Thungthongkam 6–2

References

External links

*
Emms's Official website

BadmintonEngland Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Emms, Gail 1977 births Living people Sportspeople from Hitchin English female badminton players Badminton players at the 2004 Summer Olympics Badminton players at the 2008 Summer Olympics Olympic badminton players of Great Britain Olympic silver medallists for Great Britain Olympic medalists in badminton Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics Badminton players at the 2002 Commonwealth Games Badminton players at the 2006 Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games gold medallists for England Commonwealth Games silver medallists for England Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for England Commonwealth Games medallists in badminton World No. 1 badminton players People educated at Dame Alice Harpur School Members of the Order of the British Empire Medallists at the 2002 Commonwealth Games Medallists at the 2006 Commonwealth Games