Badminton: Nicola Cerfontyne shifts focus to 2016 Olympics

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Britain’s badminton number two, Nicola Cerfontyne, has a plan to win an Olympic badminton medal, but unlike other top ranked British athletes, she is not aiming for the London Olympics.

Her triumph at the 2011 English National Championships cemented her position alongside Nathan Robertson, Gail Emms and Rajiv Ouseph but despite the victory, Cerfontyne has acknowledged that she is not ready to compete at London 2012.

She said, “The decision to focus on 2016 was not as tough as people would expect.

“It would be amazing to go to an Olympic Games in my own country with home support from friends and family, but preparations for an event like the Olympics can take a lifetime.

“Winning the Nationals was massive for me in many ways and led to the thought of playing in London crossing my mind for a second or two, but this did not change my original plan.

“When I first started playing badminton I always had it in my mind that I wanted to compete in the Olympics. A few years later when I started planning for them I had no idea that the games would or even could be considered in London.

“For me my preparation is based on being the best player I can be and to be as prepared as possible which means that 2016 is the goal.”

Nicola, who began playing badminton at the age of twelve, has been on the move ever since, having first relocated to Spain and Dubai. She currently trains at the Greve Training Centre in Denmark and is confident her surroundings will stand her in good stead for 2016,

“Denmark is currently one of the leading badminton nations and this is because they have a great club system with good training and coaches.

“These positives attract players from other countries to develop their game and means there are more players of a higher level training here.

“There are players here from different countries training for big events and championships so the environment is professional and disciplined and when you are training every day you need to maintain the quality and we push each other.”

Winning the English National Championship at such a young age is a source of pride for the Brit and is her stepping stone for greater things in the future but her current world ranking of 110 shows the size of the challenge ahead.

Nicola understands that she will need to remain focused to achieve her goal, “Preparing for an event that is years away is made easier by having other goals in-between. This way I can ensure that I am heading in the right direction.

“Four years sounds like a long time but it flies by when you are developing your game.

“It can take years to establish a playing style, to gain match experience and change techniques so every session must be focussed for the quality to be as high as possible.

“Training every day for years is a massive commitment and takes a lot of dedication, but the hardest thing is staying injury free.”

Ed Rusoke-Spencer, Sportsister
The Women’s Sports Magazine

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