Sarah's a Youth Olympic Star
Interview conducted by James Brown, Communications and Web Assistant, BADMINTON England [August 2010]
Eighteen-year-old Sarah Milne competed in the Youth Olympics last month as the only British player to represent badminton. She surpassed her eighth seeded position by leaving the tournament in fourth place, just missing out on the bronze medal in the third-place play-off. Sarah defeated French player Lea Palermo 21-11 21-18, Nantana Ketpura Cee of the United States 21-19 21-19 and Alexandra Mathis from Austria 21-10 21-11 in the group stages and in the quarter-finals she beat Netherlands Josephine Wentholt (21-15 21-8) at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Sarah’s professionalism and control of her games were something to be commended and her coach described her defeat over Dutch girl Josephine Wentholt in the quarter-finals as “A very good performance, controlled and focused against an apponent who had beaten the top seed on day one.”
Unfortunatly Sarah just missed out on walking away with a medal, but she has gained much experience from the games and the experience will no doubt enrich her badminton career and give her a big confidence boost for the future.
Well done with your performance in Singapore at the Youth Olympic Games. We saw some fantastic performances from you. Describe what it meant to you to be involved in the Youth Olympics.
I did not realise how big it was until I was out there and experienced the atmosphere. The crowds were amazing every round and just to be involved in something like that is an amazing experience and honour. I had such support while I was out there and I would like to thank everyone who sent me messages of good luck and well done while I was out there.
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I know you were hoping for a medal, but what have you learnt from the experience of playing at such a prestigious event that you can take into future tournaments?
Getting so far and not getting a medal was devastating however I have learnt that it does not matter what reputation someone has before the event, anything can happen while you are actually playing. The Asians are better than us at the minute but they are not as far away from us as we think and we need to take them off the pedestal that we put them on.
You beat Josephine Wentholt 21-15 21-8 who beat the No. 1 seed early in tournament. What did that win mean to you?
We were playing off for the semi-final place so obviously it meant a lot. I knew she was playing very well but I just had to focus on what I had to do during the match and that nothing which had happened before mattered.
During the BWF World Badminton Championships, the Asian players demonstrated their dominance in badminton at a world level as they did during the Youth Olympics. What do you think makes them so strong in competition?
I much prefer playing Asians as there is no pressure and their games are more dynamic brings different things into a match. The Asian badminton base is far better and their structure and culture means that their training is more intense and begins from a younger age. We do not have the same discipline and focus as the Asians. But I believe once we gain some success our badminton will blossom.
Well done Sarah and all the best for the future.
