Gail Emms
Encyclopedia
Gail Elizabeth Emms MBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...

 (born July 23, 1977 in Hitchin
Hitchin
Hitchin is a town in Hertfordshire, England, with an estimated population of 30,360.-History:Hitchin is first noted as the central place of the Hicce people mentioned in a 7th century document, the Tribal Hidage. The tribal name is Brittonic rather than Old English and derives from *siccā, meaning...

, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...

) is a retired English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 badminton
Badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...

 player who has achieved international success in doubles tournaments.

Her best results were winning gold at the 2006 World Championships
2006 IBF World Championships
The 2006 IBF World Championships was held in Madrid, the capital of Spain, from September 18 to September 24, 2006.-Medalists:-Men's Singles:-Men's Doubles:-Women's Singles:-Women's Doubles:-Mixed Doubles:-Medal account:...

 in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...

, 2004 European Championships
2004 European Badminton Championships
The 19th European Badminton Championships were held in Geneva, Switzerland, between 16 and 24 April 2004.-Medalists:-Medal account:-References:...

 in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...

, and a silver medal at the 2004 Olympic Games
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...

, partnering Nathan Robertson
Nathan Robertson
Nathan James Robertson is an English badminton player who has achieved international success in both the men's events and the mixed doubles event...

 in the mixed doubles. At the 2002 Commonwealth Games
2002 Commonwealth Games
The 2002 Commonwealth Games were held in Manchester, England from 25 July to 4 August 2002. The XVII Commonwealth Games was the largest multi-sport event ever to be held in the UK, eclipsing London's 1948 Summer Olympics in numbers of teams and athletes participating.After the 1996 Manchester...

 in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...

 she won a bronze medal with Joanne Goode
Joanne Goode
Joanne Goode is a former English female badminton player.-Career:Goode competed in badminton at the 2000 Summer Olympics in mixed doubles with Simon Archer and won a bronze medal...

 in the women's doubles and won gold as part of the England team in the mixed team event. She also took the World Badminton Grand Prix
World Badminton Grand Prix
The World Badminton Grand Prix was an annual badminton tournament organized by the International Badminton Federation to crown the best badminton player of the year. The tournament only invited the top eight players in the year-end world rankings. The tournament started in 1983, with the last...

 title in 2003 with Nathan Robertson
Nathan Robertson
Nathan James Robertson is an English badminton player who has achieved international success in both the men's events and the mixed doubles event...

. In the English National Badminton Championships
English National Badminton Championships
The English National Badminton Championships is a tournament organized by the Badminton England to crown the best badminton players in England.The tournament started in 1964 and is held every year.-Past winners:-References:***...

 she won the mixed doubles three times and the women's doubles twice.

Early life

A badminton player since the age of four, Emms was first chosen to represent England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 in 1995, and regularly played for her country until her retirement. From a sporting family, her mother represented England at football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

 in the 1971 Women's World Cup. She also attended the Dame Alice Harpur School
Dame Alice Harpur School
Dame Alice Harpur School is an independent girls school in Bedford, United Kingdom, for girls aged 11-18. In September 2010 the junior department of the school merged with the junior department of Bedford High School...

 in Bedford
Bedford
Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire, in the East of England. It is a large town and the administrative centre for the wider Borough of Bedford. According to the former Bedfordshire County Council's estimates, the town had a population of 79,190 in mid 2005, with 19,720 in the adjacent town...

, an exclusive private girls' school. In 1998 she graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Sports Science from Kingston University. She is sponsored by badminton equipment company Wilson.

2004 Summer Olympics Athens

Emms competed in badminton at the 2004 Summer Olympics
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 August 14 through August 21. Both men and women competed in their own singles and doubles events and together they competed in a mixed doubles event....

 in women's doubles with partner Donna Kellogg
Donna Kellogg
Donna Victoria Kellogg MBE is an English badminton player. She first played badminton at the age of 10.-Career:Her first representative match for England was against China at the World Championships 1997 in Scotland...

. They defeated Koon Wai Chee
Koon Wai Chee
Koon Wai Chee Louisa is a female badminton player from Hong Kong.Koon competed in badminton at the 2004 Summer Olympics in women's doubles with partner Li Wing Mui. They were defeated by Gail Emms and Donna Kellogg of Great Britain in the round of...

 and Li Wing Mui
Li Wing Mui
Li Wing Mui is a female badminton player from Hong Kong.Li competed in badminton at the 2004 Summer Olympics in women's doubles with partner Koon Wai Chee. They were defeated by Gail Emms and Donna Kellogg of Great Britain in the round of 32...

 of Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

 in the first round but were defeated by Zhao Tingting
Zhao Tingting
Zhao Tingting is a female badminton player from the People's Republic of China.-Career:A doubles specialist, Zhao has often been a "utility player" on China's national team, winning international tournaments with a variety of compatriots who typically partner someone else...

 and Wei Yili
Wei Yili
Wei Yili is a female badminton player from the People's Republic of China.-Career:A women's doubles specialist, since 2001 Wei has competed on the world circuit in partnership with a variety of her fellow countrywomen, but most often with either Zhao Tingting or Zhang Yawen...

 of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...

 in the second round.

She also competed in mixed doubles with Robertson. They had a bye in the first round and defeated Björn Siegemund
Björn Siegemund
-Career:Siegemund competed in badminton at the 2004 Summer Olympics in mixed double's with partner Nicol Pitro. They defeated Travis Denney and Kate Wilson-Smith of Australia in the first round but lost to Nathan Robertson and Gail Emms of Great Britain in the round of 16.-External links:*...

 and Nicol Pitro
Nicol Pitro
-Career:Pitro competed in badminton at the 2004 Summer Olympics in mixed double's with partner Björn Siegemund. They defeated Travis Denney and Kate Wilson-Smith of Australia in the first round but lost to Nathan Robertson and Gail Emms of the United Kingdom in the round of 16.-References:*Martin...

 of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 in the second. In the quarterfinals, Emms and Robertson beat Chen Qiqiu
Chen Qiqiu
Chen Qiqiu is a former male badminton player from the People's Republic of China. He is now a doubles coach for the Chinese national team.-Career:...

 and Zhao Tingting
Zhao Tingting
Zhao Tingting is a female badminton player from the People's Republic of China.-Career:A doubles specialist, Zhao has often been a "utility player" on China's national team, winning international tournaments with a variety of compatriots who typically partner someone else...

 of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...

 15-8, 17-15 to advance to the semifinals. There, they beat Jonas Rasmussen
Jonas Rasmussen
Jonas Rasmussen is a male badminton player from Denmark.With his men's double partner Lars Paaske he won the 2003 IBF World Championships defeating Indonesian couple Candra Wijaya and Sigit Budiarto in the gold medal match and the All England Super Series 2010 defeating compatriots Mathias Boe and...

 and Rikke Olsen
Rikke Olsen
-2004 Summer Olympics:Olsen competed in badminton at the 2004 Summer Olympics in women's doubles with partner Ann-Lou Jørgensen. They had a bye in the first round and defeated Nicole Grether and Juliane Schenk of Germany in the second...

 of Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

 15-6, 15-12. In the final, they lost to the Chinese pair Zhang Jun and Gao Ling
Gao Ling
Gao Ling is a female badminton player from the People's Republic of China.-Career:Noted for her consistency, anticipation, forecourt prowess, and sporting smile, Gao is unarguably, to many fans, the most successful doubles specialists in the history of women's badminton. In addition, she earned...

 15-1, 12-15, 15-12 to finish with the silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....

.

2006

The 2006 Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....

 brought Emms a Silver in the team event, a Bronze in the women's doubles (with Donna Kellogg
Donna Kellogg
Donna Victoria Kellogg MBE is an English badminton player. She first played badminton at the age of 10.-Career:Her first representative match for England was against China at the World Championships 1997 in Scotland...

) and a Gold in the mixed doubles (with Nathan Robertson
Nathan Robertson
Nathan James Robertson is an English badminton player who has achieved international success in both the men's events and the mixed doubles event...

). An additional gold together with Robertson followed at the 2006 IBF World Championships
2006 IBF World Championships
The 2006 IBF World Championships was held in Madrid, the capital of Spain, from September 18 to September 24, 2006.-Medalists:-Men's Singles:-Men's Doubles:-Women's Singles:-Women's Doubles:-Mixed Doubles:-Medal account:...

.

2008 Summer Olympics, Beijing

Emms participated in the women's doubles with partner Donna Kellogg
Donna Kellogg
Donna Victoria Kellogg MBE is an English badminton player. She first played badminton at the age of 10.-Career:Her first representative match for England was against China at the World Championships 1997 in Scotland...

 only to be knocked out in the first round by the Chinese pair Wei Yili
Wei Yili
Wei Yili is a female badminton player from the People's Republic of China.-Career:A women's doubles specialist, since 2001 Wei has competed on the world circuit in partnership with a variety of her fellow countrywomen, but most often with either Zhao Tingting or Zhang Yawen...

 and Zhao Tingting
Zhao Tingting
Zhao Tingting is a female badminton player from the People's Republic of China.-Career:A doubles specialist, Zhao has often been a "utility player" on China's national team, winning international tournaments with a variety of compatriots who typically partner someone else...

.

Emms then went on to win her first match in the mixed doubles with Nathan Robertson
Nathan Robertson
Nathan James Robertson is an English badminton player who has achieved international success in both the men's events and the mixed doubles event...

 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
Zheng Bo is a male badminton player from Hunan, People's Republic of 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 final of the 2004 Thomas Cup, to clinch China's first...

 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 Lee Yong-dae
Lee Yong-dae
Lee Yong-dae is a male badminton player from South Korea. He is considered by many to be a great talent and already a wonderful doubles player...

 and Lee Hyo-jung
Lee Hyo-jung
Lee Hyo-jung is a female badminton player from South Korea.She won the gold medal in badminton mixed doubles at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics with her partner, Lee Yong-dae...

. The Korean pair then went on to win the gold medal.

Emms retired after the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...

.

Personal life

Emms was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2009 Birthday Honours.

Emms gave birth to her first child, a son, in March 2010.

Record against selected opponents

Mixed Doubles results with former partner Nathan Robertson
Nathan Robertson
Nathan James Robertson is an English badminton player who has achieved international success in both the men's events and the mixed doubles event...

 against Super Series finalists, Worlds Semi-finalists, and Olympic quarterfinalists.
Chen Qiqiu
Chen Qiqiu
Chen Qiqiu is a former male badminton player from the People's Republic of China. He is now a doubles coach for the Chinese national team.-Career:...

 & Zhao Tingting
Zhao Tingting
Zhao Tingting is a female badminton player from the People's Republic of China.-Career:A doubles specialist, Zhao has often been a "utility player" on China's national team, winning international tournaments with a variety of compatriots who typically partner someone else...

 3-4 Zhang Jun & Gao Ling
Gao Ling
Gao Ling is a female badminton player from the People's Republic of China.-Career:Noted for her consistency, anticipation, forecourt prowess, and sporting smile, Gao is unarguably, to many fans, the most successful doubles specialists in the history of women's badminton. In addition, she earned...

 4-4 Zheng Bo
Zheng Bo
Zheng Bo is a male badminton player from Hunan, People's Republic of 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 final of the 2004 Thomas Cup, to clinch China's first...

 & Gao Ling
Gao Ling
Gao Ling is a female badminton player from the People's Republic of China.-Career:Noted for her consistency, anticipation, forecourt prowess, and sporting smile, Gao is unarguably, to many fans, the most successful doubles specialists in the history of women's badminton. In addition, she earned...

 0-3 He Hanbin
He Hanbin
He Hanbin is a male badminton player from China.- Career :A doubles specialist, He won men's doubles at the Austrian International tourney with Guo Zhendong in 2007. Most of his accomplishments, however, have come in mixed doubles with Yu Yang...

 & Yu Yang
Yu Yang (badminton)
Yu Yang is a female badminton player from the People's Republic of China.-Career:A doubles specialist, Yu and her regular partner Du Jing have steadily emerged as one of the world's elite women's doubles teams since 2004. They confirmed this status by winning the gold medal at the 2008 Olympics in...

 2-1 Xie Zhongbo
Xie Zhongbo
-Career:A doubles specialist on the world circuit, Xie has regularly partnered Guo Zhendong in men's doubles and Zhang Yawen in mixed doubles over the past several years. Xie and Guo have won the Polish Open , the China Masters , and the India Open together...

 & Zhang Yawen
Zhang Yawen
Zhang Yawen is a female badminton player from the People's Republic of China.-Career:Zhang has specialized in women's doubles and mixed doubles, earning numerous international titles in both events...

 3-3 Jens Eriksen
Jens Eriksen
Jens Dyrløv Eriksen is a male badminton player from Denmark.-2004 Olympics:He played badminton at the 2004 Summer Olympics in men's doubles and mixed doubles....

 & Mette Schjoldager
Mette Schjoldager
Mette Schjoldager is a female badminton player from Denmark.-Career:Schjoldager competed in badminton at the 2004 Summer Olympics in women's doubles with partner Pernille Harder...

 1-2 Joachim Fischer Nielsen
Joachim Fischer Nielsen
-Major achievements:...

 & Christinna Pedersen
Christinna Pedersen
Christinna Pedersen is an internationally elite badminton player from Ålborg, Denmark.Christinna Pedersen is a right-handed Doubles specialist who has gained the most amount of success in Mixed Doubles. Pairing with Joachim Fischer Nielsen she reached the semifinals of the 2009 Hyderabad World...

 1-0 Thomas Laybourn
Thomas Laybourn
Thomas Laybourn is a male badminton player from Denmark.Laybourn won the 2006 European Badminton Championships in mixed doubles with partner Kamilla Rytter Juhl...

 & Kamilla Rytter Juhl
Kamilla Rytter Juhl
Kamilla Rytter Juhl is a female badminton player from Denmark.Juhl won the 2006 European Badminton Championships in mixed doubles with partner Thomas Laybourn, and a bronze medal in women's doubles with Lena Frier Kristiansen...

 4-3 Jonas Rasmussen
Jonas Rasmussen
Jonas Rasmussen is a male badminton player from Denmark.With his men's double partner Lars Paaske he won the 2003 IBF World Championships defeating Indonesian couple Candra Wijaya and Sigit Budiarto in the gold medal match and the All England Super Series 2010 defeating compatriots Mathias Boe and...

 & Rikke Olsen
Rikke Olsen
-2004 Summer Olympics:Olsen competed in badminton at the 2004 Summer Olympics in women's doubles with partner Ann-Lou Jørgensen. They had a bye in the first round and defeated Nicole Grether and Juliane Schenk of Germany in the second...

 4-1 Michael Søgaard
Michael Søgaard
-Summer Olympics:He played badminton at the 1996 Summer Olympics in men's doubles and mixed doubles. In men's doubles, Søgaard and his partner Henrik Svarrer were defeated in the round of 16 by Ricky Subagja and Rexy Mainaky of Indonesia 15-10, 15-7. He also competed in mixed doubles with partner...

 & Rikke Olsen
Rikke Olsen
-2004 Summer Olympics:Olsen competed in badminton at the 2004 Summer Olympics in women's doubles with partner Ann-Lou Jørgensen. They had a bye in the first round and defeated Nicole Grether and Juliane Schenk of Germany in the second...

 3-1 Simon Archer
Simon Archer
Simon Archer is an English badminton player.Archer once held the world record for the fastest smash at 162 mph.-Career:-Summer Olympics:...

 & Joanne Goode
Joanne Goode
Joanne Goode is a former English female badminton player.-Career:Goode competed in badminton at the 2000 Summer Olympics in mixed doubles with Simon Archer and won a bronze medal...

 1-0 Anthony Clark
Anthony Clark (badminton)
Anthony Ian Clark is an English badminton player.-2004 Summer Olympics:Clark competed in badminton at the 2004 Summer Olympics in men's doubles with partner Nathan Robertson...

 & Donna Kellogg
Donna Kellogg
Donna Victoria Kellogg MBE is an English badminton player. She first played badminton at the age of 10.-Career:Her first representative match for England was against China at the World Championships 1997 in Scotland...

 3-1 Flandy Limpele
Flandy Limpele
Flandy Limpele is a male badminton player from Indonesia.- Career :A doubles specialist, at various times Limpele has focused on either men's doubles or mixed doubles during his long career in international badminton. His earliest appearances in the final rounds of major events came in mixed...

 & Vita Marissa
Vita Marissa
Vita Marissa is a female badminton player from Indonesia.- Career :Marissa competed in badminton at the 2004 Summer Olympics in mixed double's with partner Nova Widianto. They had a bye in the first round and defeated Robert Blair and Natalie Munt of Great Britain in the second...

 2-1 Nova Widianto
Nova Widianto
Nova Widianto is a male badminton player from Indonesia.- Career :Nova Widianto is one of the greatest doubles player in Indonesia National Team. Even though his best career come from the mixed doubles, but he also played well in men doubles. Widianto has specialized in mixed doubles...

 & Vita Marissa
Vita Marissa
Vita Marissa is a female badminton player from Indonesia.- Career :Marissa competed in badminton at the 2004 Summer Olympics in mixed double's with partner Nova Widianto. They had a bye in the first round and defeated Robert Blair and Natalie Munt of Great Britain in the second...

 2-3 Nova Widianto
Nova Widianto
Nova Widianto is a male badminton player from Indonesia.- Career :Nova Widianto is one of the greatest doubles player in Indonesia National Team. Even though his best career come from the mixed doubles, but he also played well in men doubles. Widianto has specialized in mixed doubles...

 & Lilyana Natsir
Lilyana Natsir
Lilyana Natsir is a female badminton player from Indonesia who specializes in doubles. She is listed as one of the best mixed doubles player in the world. In Indonesia, she is often considered as the queen of mixed doubles sector thanks to her achievements with her two different pairs...

 4-5 Kim Dong-moon
Kim Dong-moon
Kim Dong-moon is a retired male badminton player from South Korea who won major titles between the mid-1990s and the mid-2000s...

 & Ra Kyung-min
Ra Kyung-min
Ra Kyung-min is a female badminton player from South Korea.Ra was a dominating mixed doubles team with her partner Kim Dong-moon from late 1990s to early 2000s, resulting 70-match winning streak and 14 consecutive titles in international tournaments.- Career :Ra competed for Korea in badminton at...

 0-5 Lee Yong-dae
Lee Yong-dae
Lee Yong-dae is a male badminton player from South Korea. He is considered by many to be a great talent and already a wonderful doubles player...

 & Lee Hyo-jung
Lee Hyo-jung
Lee Hyo-jung is a female badminton player from South Korea.She won the gold medal in badminton mixed doubles at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics with her partner, Lee Yong-dae...

 1-2 Robert Mateusiak
Robert Mateusiak
Robert Bogumił Mateusiak is a male badminton player from Poland.-Career:Mateusiak competed in badminton at the 2000 Summer Olympics and the 2004 Summer Olympics, both times in men's doubles with partner Michał Łogosz....

 & Nadiezda Zieba 2-1 Frederik Bergström & Johanna Persson
Johanna Persson
Johanna Persson is a female badminton player from Sweden.Persson competed in badminton at the 2004 Summer Olympics in mixed doubles with partner Fredrik Bergström. They defeated Mike Beres and Jody Patrick of Canada in the first round and Sudket Prapakamol and Saralee Thungthongkam of Thailand in...

 1-0 Sudket Prapakamol
Sudket Prapakamol
Sudket Prapakamol is a male badminton player from Thailand.-Career:He competed in badminton at the 2004 Summer Olympics in men's doubles with partner Patapol Ngernsrisuk. They were defeated in the round of 32 by Anthony Clark and Nathan Robertson of Great Britain.Prapakamol also competed in mixed...

 & Saralee Thoungthongkam 6-2

External links

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