FRUSTRATED RUNNER-UP
But Gilmour can be content with another silver
Badminton star Kirsty Gilmour admitted frustration at being made to settle for Team GB silver at the European Games in Minsk this week.
However, Gilmour says she may look back on the medal she won in Belarus with pride in time to come.
Defeat in the final to second seed Mia Blichfeldt of Denmark denied her a first European gold medal but, although understandably disappointed in not taking the top step on the podium, Gilmour can be proud of winning a third silver medal at European level.
Kirsty, from Bothwell, took to social media to say: “European Games silver. Mixed emotions from this week. I played some of my best badminton but couldn’t get that gold.”
She added: “That performance was not my ‘A’ game, but not too far off.
“I gave away a few points at key times and you just can’t do that with Mia.
“Fair play to Mia, she was really on it; anything loose she was capitalising on, and I just couldn’t get the match to turn in my favour.”
Gilmour won three matches out of three in the group stages to qualify for the last 16 as Group C winner, beating Norway’s Elisa Wiborg, Lithuanian Vytaute Fomkinaite and Marie Batomene of France, without dropping a set.
That put her into a head-on clash with Lianne Tan for a place in the quarterfinal, beating the Belgian 21-13 21-16.
Gilmour then showed characteristic grit and determination to reach the semi-finals and the guarantee of at least a bronze medal.
She bounced back from losing a close first game to Swiss player Sabrina Jaquet to reach the semi-finals, before repeating the feat against top seed Line Kjaersfeldt, playing some outstanding badminton to turn around a match which had seemed to be slipping away, to win 13-21 21-16 21-8.
But although Gilmour’s week ultimately ended in disappointment with the loss to Blichfeldt, her medal capped a great week for British badminton in Minsk, where Team GB won two gold and three silver medals.
There was no rest up for Kirsty though, who said: “Time for a couple of days off and then preparing for the Russian Open.”
The Russian Open, held at the Sport Hall Olympik in Vladivostok from July 16-21 is the fourth event of the Badminton World Federation World Tour Super 100, and carries with it a total purse of $75,000US.