Kirsty Gilmour: Three-time Olympian 'has a nice ring to it' as Paris 2024 selection confirmed

Badminton star Kirsty Gilmour is delighted to have been selected for Paris 2024, says ‘three-time Olympian’ has a nice ring to it, and that qualification will never get old.

Gilmour, 30, from Bothwell, is Great Britain’s sole singles representative for this summer’s Games, having also been selected for Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, with Covid delaying it by a year.

Kirsty, who won silver at the European Championships last month, will be joined in the squad by men’s doubles pair Sean Vendy and Ben Lane.

“Three-time Olympian has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it,” Gilmour told the BBC.

“The first one in Rio was something pretty special, then Tokyo happened under such strange circumstances.

“This third one feels really hard-earned. It never stops feeling cool, and it never gets old.”

For Gilmour the quest is for seeding, as she sits just outside of the world top 20, and has targets for the Games in France.

But, having taken a step back for her own mental health at the Euros, Gilmour says enjoying the occasion is just as important.

She said: “For me to get to a quarter-final of an Olympic Games, I’d be happy to say that I’ve done it.

“It’s all the same players, it’s the same court, it’s the same racquets, it’s the same net.

“The only thing that really changes is the prestige of it, but that’s such an ‘outcome’ way to think of it.

“I need to remember that this is supposed to be fun. That will kind of take the edge off of those little big pressurised moments.”

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