Gilmour to squeeze every last drop out of badminton career

By Milly McEvoy in Birmingham

Badminton player Kirsty Gilmour is ready to squeeze every last drop out of her career as she enters her twilight years.

The 31-year-old has battled injuries in recent months and dropped out of the top 32 in the world, a rare occurrence during a 13-year professional career. With a promising showing at the YONEX All England this week - which saw her force a decider against the world no.1 An Se Young in the second round - Gilmour is reinvigorated to go in search of more.

“A few injuries, a few health things but a combination of last week in Orléans and this week, I feel like me a little bit more again,” she said. “I’ve been playing good badminton and seeing the results from it because I don’t think I’ve been playing bad badminton recently,

“If you look at my recent results, I’ve lost in three sets. And it is so hard to not focus on the outcomes and focus on the process. Being an inch away every single time, it is hard to keep the faith but I’m glad I’ve kept it.

“It is hard, especially at my age, every little break you need to take you wonder if you are going to manage to make it back, that is always going in the back of your head. I have got good people around me who support me either way, but I am still going to keep pushing as long as I can do.”

While LA 2028 and a push for an unprecedented fourth Olympic Games is still firmly on the horizon, Gilmour has had to rethink what her next two years look like. Badminton has not been included as one of the 10 sports to feature in the 2026 Commonwealth Games which will be held in Gilmour’s home city of Glasgow.

She added: “It was so arrogant of me that I didn’t even consider that badminton wouldn’t be chosen as a sport, so it was a real blow for what my next two years would look like. I have had four Commonwealth Games. I’ve been a flagbearer, which is a career highlight that you can’t even put on a list because it is not up to you.

“I’ve had a home Games, I’ve had a home medal. I’ll be fine, I’ll survive. But it is the 18, 19, 20-year-olds in the squad, I really wanted that for them. It is a really great development step for the young ones, and a home one is even more special.

“I can see all the reasons why we weren’t chosen but I can see all the reasons why we should have been as well, and it stings.”

As Gilmour plans what the final three-and-a-half years of her playing career may look like, the five-time European medallist also gave thought to what her legacy might be.

“I guess I’d like to be remembered as someone who fights very small battles and rights small wrongs quietly,” she said. “I don’t need to be remembered as the biggest and loudest personality, but as long as I am thought of quite well amongst people that matter than that will be enough.

“And then in terms of the on-court stuff, I think that maybe the way I play has had a hand in the evolution of the women’s game. I’ve brought a lot of physicality to it over the years. An on-court tenacity and off-court quiet impact.”

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