Emms and Robertson: We can beat anyone

Gail Emms today sounded a gold medal chasing battle cry that British sports fans rarely hear when the mixed doubles semi-finalist declared; "On our day we can beat anyone."

Emms and badminton partner Nathan Robertson, the fourth seeds, have been installed as gold medal favourites as they prepare for tomorrow's semifinal clash with the Danish pair who produced one of the biggest upsets the sport has seen.

Seventh seeds Jonas Rasmussen and Rikke Olsen knocked out top seeded South Koreans Kim Don Moon and Ra Kyung Min, who were unbeaten in over a year.

Now that has all changed and it is Emms and Robertson who can make history and a recent win over the Danes in the European championships puts them in the driving seat.

Not even a slight strain to her right thigh is dampening the excitement coursing through Emms's veins although she insists that "getting too excited, too early" is something she must avoid.

However, that is very difficult for Britain's outstanding mixed doubles pair and the rest of a badminton team that is making encouraging strides in Athens.

Emms said: "I know that could be possible and it's is hard to not think 'well, if we beat them then it's going to mean one more win and you know what' but the Danes played really well to beat the South Koreans."

Emms and Robertson beat Chinese pair Chen Qiqiu and Zhao Tinting 15-8, 17-15 and are guaranteed a shot at the bronze to emulate Simon Archer and Joanne Goode's achievement at the Sydney Olympics.

The pair had contrasting fortunes with other partners. Emms recorded a first round victory in the women's doubles alongside Donna Kellogg, but Robertson and Anthony Clark lost to Indonesia's Eng Hian and Flandy Limpele 15-7, 15-12.

In the men's singles, Richard Vaughan won his first round match 15-5,15-3 against Portugal's Mareo Vasconalos.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in