In a Commonwealth Games first, the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) have today confirmed that Beach Volleyball will feature at the next Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast 2018. This follows on the back of initial discussions at the 2015 CGF General Assembly in Auckland and will extend the Games sports programme for the first time from 17 to 18 sports, including four team sports.
The decision to include Beach Volleyball in the Gold Coast 2018 Games was approved by the CGF Executive Board following a special request from the Queensland Minister for the Commonwealth Games and GOLDOC.
Queensland Premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk welcomed the news and said: “The Gold Coast’s beautiful beaches are a huge Games drawcard and Beach Volleyball is the perfect sporting fit for the 2018 programme. The Games is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to showcase Queensland to the world and with Beach Volleyball now locked in to make its Commonwealth Games debut, vision of the Gold Coast’s iconic beaches will be beamed to an audience of over 1.5 billion people around the world.”
Games partners will now scout an accessible venue location that showcases the magnificent beaches and has the capacity to house the temporary infrastructure needed to meet international federation guidelines.
Two 12 team tournaments will be contested during the Games, one for Men’s Teams and one for Women’s Teams consisting of two players per team. A qualification system will be developed in collaboration with the international volleyball federation FIVB and will be finalised by July 2016.
Paul Bush OBE, Chairman of Commonwealth Games Scotland said: “Today’s news is a huge boost for Beach Volleyball and there is no better place to showcase this exciting sport than in Gold Coast. We will now continue to work closely with colleagues at Scottish Volleyball to develop the necessary criteria to ensure that we can select a team that competes with distinction in accordance with the CGS General Selection Policy.”
Excited by the news, Margaret Ann Fleming, Chief Executive of Volleyball Scotland said: “Scottish Volleyball is absolutely delighted that Beach Volleyball is now included in the 2018 Commonwealth Games. As a sport, in terms of audience viewing, delivery and athlete inspiration, we excelled in the London 2012 Olympics and our addition into the Gold Coast is a further stepping stone for Beach Volleyball to be recognised as the truly inspirational spectator and performance sport it is. I am confident that our athletes are ready to embrace this opportunity and I look forward to 2018 with optimism.”
Lynne Beattie, London 2012 Olympic volleyball women’s captain and Scotland’s number one international beach athlete said: “I would be overjoyed at the opportunity to represent Scotland at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and look forward to hearing more about the qualification process later in the year.”
The Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games will be staged from 4 – 15 April 2018.
Commonwealth Games Scotland (CGS) is the lead body for Commonwealth sport in Scotland and we are the organisation responsible for selecting, preparing and leading Scotland’s team at the Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth Youth Games.
We are the guardian of the Games movement in Scotland, that has seen some of our nation’s most memorable and inspiring sporting achievements, in what is one of the biggest multi-sport events in the world.
The Commonwealth Games is the only multi-sport Games in which Scots get to compete under the Scotland flag and is the pinnacle of the Scottish sporting pathway for so many of our 26 member sports and athletes.
Team Scotland’s participation in the Games enjoys huge support from the Scottish public, and our athletes are proving to be a huge inspiration to young people across the country, aspiring to follow in their footsteps.
In 2009, prior to the Delhi Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games, CGS took the decision to develop a Team Scotland brand mark in addition to the corporate CGS brand mark, which is part of the CGF brand family. Whilst the CGS brand mark is still being used in a business to business context with key stakeholders, the aim was to recognise the unique position that the Scottish Commonwealth Games Team held in the sports market place and create an identity that team members and the Scottish public could easily understand and engage with.
It was also decided that it would evolve the brand mark every two years to make it specific to every edition of the Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth Youth Games.
However following a recent commercial review, CGS has decided to establish Team Scotland as an ongoing brand, rather than a once every four year entity linked to each Games.
As a result CGS now wishes to commission an exciting new brand mark for Team Scotland, which we believe will help to significantly strengthen the Team Scotland brand for ongoing use, as the first stage of our brand development activity.
Interested agencies should download the Tender Brief at the bottom of this web page and must be able to demonstrate a strong track record of successful brand mark development ideally within the field of sport.
Expressions of interest and any associated questions to be received by Wednesday 16 March 2016.
Deadline for submissions is Wednesday 6 April 2016.
Successful applicants will be shortlisted and invited to present their concepts on the afternoon of Wednesday 27 April 2016
Tender submissions should be sent FAO Katriona Bush to: Commonwealth Games Scotland, Gannochy Sports Centre, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA.
Any questions regarding the tender brief should be sent to Katriona Bush, Head of Media and Communications, Commonwealth Games Scotland kbush@bshsport.demon.co.uk.
Download: Team Scotland Brand Mark Tender Brief
27 Scottish high performance athletes with the potential to make the podium at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in 2018 have been boosted with the news that they are among the latest recipients of individual sportscotland Athlete Personal Awards (SAPAs).
£192,000 has been allocated in the first year of a two year investment to athletes in six sports to provide additional support for training, competition and living expenses for the next two years.
This initiative was introduced for London 2012, Sochi 2014, and Glasgow 2014, and proved extremely successful with 30 medallists at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games having received SAPAs.
sportscotland has now invested almost £1.5 million and supported well over 100 high performance athletes through this initiative, which provides financial assistance targeted at athletes deemed to show medal-winning potential.
Individual beneficiaries from the latest round of awards include Cameron Brodie in swimming, Steph Twell in athletics, Alex Marshall in lawn bowls, and Scotland’s first female boxer to win a GB title, Stephanie Kernachan. In addition to the Commonwealth Games sports, five snowsport athletes vying for a place on Team GB for the 2018 Olympic Games in Pyeongchang will receive support.
Speaking at Scottish Boxing’s Performance Centre in the East End of Glasgow, where the awards were announced, Director of High Performance at sportscotland Mike Whittingham said: “The sportscotland Athlete Personal Awards have made a significant difference to our athletes with podium aspirations, and it’s great to be able to boost the prospects of 32 athletes who are vying for 2018 Commonwealth and Olympic places.
“SAPAs are designed to help athletes who are in the development stage of their high performance career and need additional support to help them train and compete at the right level as they approach competition.
“They help ensure that Scottish athletes can focus and concentrate on their ideal training, recovery, and injury prevention strategies. The smallest performance increment can make all the difference when competing at Commonwealth or Olympic level and that requires meticulous preparation and support.
“These athletes know they have the support of Commonwealth Games Scotland, the British Olympic Association, their governing bodies and world-class services from the sportscotland institute of sport’s team of coaches, scientists, and experts in addition to this financial award. Together we are the ‘team behind the team; and with them all the way.”
Paul Bush OBE., Chairman of Commonwealth Games Scotland, said: “Commonwealth Games Scotland is working closely with sportscotland to ensure that the sports and athletes preparing for the next Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast have the best possible opportunity to qualify for and excel at the Games.
“After the huge success of Glasgow 2014, our aim is for Team Scotland to have its most successful ever overseas Games in 2018. We therefore welcome the direct support for prospective team members through the Athlete Personal Awards, which is a crucial component in the overall support package to CGS and its member sports.”
Boxer Stephanie Kernachan said: “This award gives me the additional support I need to represent my country and make my dreams of winning on the world stage achievable. The support I have received from Boxing Scotland and the sportscotland institute of sport has allowed me to go to warm weather training camps and the sports science support from the institute is really making a difference.
“I am now completely focused on qualifying for the Commonwealth Games in 2018. I know I can compete at that level and my aim is to be Scotland’s first ever Commonwealth Games female boxing medal winner. The SAPA takes some of the pressure off, allowing me to concentrate on my training and do everything I can to get on that podium.”
A full list of recipients can be downloaded from the bottom of this webpage.
Download: sportscotland Athlete Personal Awards March 2016
Scotland’s athletes claimed records, titles and medals across a packed weekend of sport. Here are some of the highlights as the Olympic Games in Rio beckon for some, while others look further ahead to Gold Coast 2018:
Gymnastics: World and Commonwealth medallist Daniel Purvis took his third Scottish senior All-Around title with a commanding display to take gold ahead of Glasgow 2014 team mate Frank Baines at the Scottish Artistic Championships in Perth. Purvis followed his All-Around victory with individual apparatus gold on Pommel, High Bar and Parallel Bars to round off a successful weekend.
“This was my first competition of the year and it feels really good to get out there,” he said. “It was great to test out a couple things, ready to kick off the year. I was really happy with my parallel bars, it was a bit hit and miss with a couple of new skills but I managed to pull it off today so it has given me a lot of confidence going in to the rest of the year.”
In the women’s All-Around City of Glasgow’s Cara Kennedy took her first Scottish title ahead of Sofia Ramzan and club mate Shannon Archer. She was equally successful in the individual apparatus finals with gold on Beam and Bars and silver on Floor.
Athletics: Steph Twell and Jo Moultrie propelled themselves into the British team for the World Indoor Championships with a Scottish one-two in the 3000m at the British Indoor Championships in Sheffield. Fresh from her Native record run at last week’s Glasgow Grand Prix, Twell pulled away in the closing stages to seal her place for the championships in Portland, USA. Moultrie stayed strong and dipped across the line in a personal best, just inside the nine minute selection standard to take silver. They will be joined in Portland by Lynsey Sharp, who took bronze in the 800m and Chris O’Hare (1500m).
Anna Gordon claimed bronze in the pole vault, becoming the first Scottish junior to clear the 4 metre barrier and there were also bronze medals for Maddie Murray (1500m), Sarah Warnock (Long Jump) and Guy Learmonth (800m). Outside the medal winners the stand out performance came from 17 year old Cameron Tindle who erased both senior and junior Scottish indoor records with his 21.14 second run in the 200m heats. Tindle went on to finish 6th in the final against senior athletes and his performance, an improvement of three tenths of a second from his junior record set just two weeks ago, augers well for the outdoor season and his hopes of competing at the World Junior Championships in July.
Shooting: Jen McIntosh secured her best ever finish at the European Air Rifle Championships with 5th place in Gyor, Hungary. After qualifying in 4th, she was a little disappointed with her performance in the final but, with a British record set just a month ago, and her selection for the Rio 2016 Olympics already confirmed, she can look ahead to the Games with confidence. Younger sister Seonaid, British Junior record holder, stepped up to senior competition and gave a good account of herself finishing in the top third of the field.
Boxing: Billy Stuart, a silver medallist at September’s Commonwealth Youth Games in Samoa, produced a great performance in the Scottish Youth Championships to win gold in the 56kg division. Incredibly this was his seventh Scottish age group title and a great start to the year for the 18 year old. Samoa 2015 team mate John Docherty has made the step up to senior level and goes in the Scottish Elite Championship semi-finals this coming weekend.
Hockey: The Scotland women’s team, on tour in South Africa, scored a brilliant 1-0 victory over their hosts in the final test match in the series. Bouncing back from losses in the first two games, the relatively young and inexperienced side found their rhythm in the third to win through a first international goal from Robyn Collins.
Weightlifting: Following multiple Scottish records at the Scottish Schools Championships just two weeks ago, Youth Team Scotland athlete Rowan Morrogh Bernard rewrote the record books once again at the British Age Group Championships in Castleford with new bests in the Snatch and overall total.
Her record Snatch of 63kg combined with a 75kg Clean & Jerk, just one kilogram short of her best, took her to bronze in the under 17 girls’ championship. At 138kg her total was not only a Scottish best but also a second qualifying score for the European Youth Championships. Her sister Holly took silver in the younger age group with a Scottish age group record 54kg Snatch with her total of 121kg giving her another Scottish record.
Scotland’s athletes are set to inspire an even wider audience with a new online service matching schools with sporting stars launched by the Champions in Scotland programme.
Champions, teachers, pupils and key players from across sport and education packed into Wallace High School in Stirling for the launch and to celebrate a new partnership to grow
and develop the programme, incorporating Commonwealth Games Scotland, Winning Scotland Foundation, the sportscotland Institute of Sport and Winning Students.
Mark Beaumont, record-breaking cyclist, adventurer and broadcaster, and Susan Egelstaff, Commonwealth and Olympian badminton player and Herald columnist were on hand to host the event which included active workshop sessions for pupils, development workshops for adults and a live introduction to the Find a Champion online service.
Teachers across Scotland will be able to log on and ‘order a role model’ thanks to the new online system. The tool matches schools with one of 200 sporting stars signed up to the Champions in Scotland programme with users able to browse a database of athletes and see which role models match with their school. The roster boasts World and Olympic medallists, record breakers and many familiar faces from Team Scotland’s Commonwealth Games teams.
Delivered by independent charity Winning Scotland Foundation, the Champions in Scotland programme uses successful sports men and women from across Scotland as role models in classrooms. It is aimed at children from 10 – 15 years old who are typically at a transition period in life.
Athletes share inspirational stories and experiences with pupils as well as delivering interactive workshops that focus on hard work, success through sustained effort, learning from failure and mistakes, and the importance of setting goals. Athletes typically visit the school three times to deliver the programme.
The programme is the evolution of the Champions in Schools initiative originally launched by Winning Scotland Foundation in 2008, which has been delivered to over 17,000 young people across 24 local authorities in Scotland using 200 role models.
Jon Doig, Chief Executive of Commonwealth Games Scotland, said: “We are proud to partner with Winning Scotland Foundation along with sportscotland and Winning Students to bring this inspiring programme to more young people across Scotland.
“The Champions represent this country’s success across a wide range of sports, many of them competing at Commonwealth Games for Team Scotland. Our athletes often talk of the strong role models they had at an early age and the drive and belief this gave them in their careers. It’s important that they are now able to fill that role for the younger generation who can learn from, and be inspired by, their struggles and triumphs on the road to achieve personal bests in whatever field they choose.
“The positive influence of the programme since its inception has been well documented and the wider reach provided by the new online system will ensure Champions in Scotland continues to go from strength to strength.”
Mark Beaumont said: “Having been involved with Winning Scotland Foundation since 2008, and seeing first-hand the positive impact it has on young people, I am very proud to be supporting this new phase that will open Champions in Scotland to all young people across the country.
“I have loved sharing my record breaking exploits with hundreds of children, and more than that having the time to make return visits and discuss topics of healthy living, training and so much more. Some of the children even came out and joined me for a stage when I ran across Scotland! They had never done anything like that before.
“I have also seen how the programme has helped young athletes become more confident and mature communicators. Now that I am a father I feel even more strongly about the priceless value of the Champions in Scotland programme”
Jamie Hepburn, MSP and Minister for Sport, Health Improvement and Mental Health says: “I’m delighted that Scottish Government is supporting the Champions in Scotland role model programme. It’s important that young people in Scotland have great role models to look up to and, more importantly, learn from.”
“The sporting champions involved in Champions in Scotland are a group of people who have achieved great success through working hard and overcoming setbacks – that’s an example we want to set for all young people in Scotland.
“The strong partnership forged by Commonwealth Games Scotland, the sportscotland Institute of Sport, Winning Students and Winning Scotland Foundation will ensure that the programme continues to flourish – and we are confident that as a result more and more young people can benefit from working with great role models.”
Five months on from their phenomenal success at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Samoa, four of Youth Team Scotland’s athletics medallists hit the podium once again at the England Athletics Age Group Championships in Sheffield.
Sprinter Cameron Tindle led the way for the Scottish contingent as he stormed to a new Scottish Junior Record over 200m, improving in each and every round.
With his 21.51 just one hundredth of a second outside the old mark in the semis, Cameron saved his best for the final with a magnificent 21.46 run in a tight battle to the line with England’s Toby Harries and Oliver Bromby. While Cameron had to settle for bronze on this occasion, behind athletes he last faced at September’s Youth Games, he had the significant consolation of erasing Ian Horsburgh’s long standing national record set in 1997 – before Cameron was born.
There were also strong performances from his fellow Youth Games medallists. Ben Greenwood, last year’s U17 800m champion, impressed in his first year in the older age group, leading the field by almost a full second as he took gold comfortably in 1.53.63. In the women’s 800m Carys McAulay took almost two full seconds off her previous indoor best with 2.07.43 for silver and to go 2nd on the Scottish all-time list and there was also silver for George Evans in the shot put with 15.82m.
Elsewhere there was a fine win for Jemma Reekie in the U20 1500m and impressive performances from Scotland’s younger athletes, some of whom may be looking towards a place at the next Commonwealth Youth Games in the Bahamas in 2017. Top performance in the younger age groups came from Glasgow’s Alessandro Schenini with gold in the U17 boys’ long jump. The title caps an outstanding indoor season for Alessandro who has three times broken the Scottish U17 record, with his best of 7.09m just three centimetres from the British all-time best.
No stranger to the record books, Glasgow 2014 silver medallist Lynsey Sharp added her name once again as she lowered the Scottish Indoor 800m best with a fantastic run in Boston, USA.
Taking almost two seconds from her season’s best set just six days previously, the 25 year old finished ahead of Americans Anima Banks and Annette Melcher to take victory in 2.00.30 and add the indoor record to the outdoor mark she already holds following a 1.57.71 run in Berlin last year.
The Edinburgh athlete beat Laura Muir’s previous record of 2:00.94, set two years ago at the Emirates Arena – incidentally the venue for this coming weekend’s Glasgow Grand Prix which will see Laura line up in the 800m with a potential opportunity to reclaim the record.
At the start of the Olympic year, Lynsey now ranks 5th all-time in the UK and held the world lead, albeit for just 45 minutes until Joanna Jozwik went 2.00.12 in winning in the Polish city of Torun.
Lynsey has enjoyed numerous successes since she competed for Team GB at the London Olympics in 2012 and such great form with just under six months to go until the Games open in Rio is the perfect start to her year.
Following hot on the heels of the announcement last week that The Bahamas will host the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games, today Northern Ireland has also been confirmed as a future host venue for the VII Commonwealth Youth Games in the summer of 2021.
At a special event attended by Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland Patron Dame Mary Peters and athletes from previous editions of the Commonwealth Games and Youth Games, Commonwealth Games Federation President Louise Martin CBE made the announcement saying: “I am thrilled to announce that the Executive Board of the Commonwealth Games Federation has unanimously voted to award the 2021 edition of the Commonwealth Youth Games to Northern Ireland.
“The Commonwealth Youth Games are an important and inspiring demonstration of the connecting and life-changing power of sport to bring people and different communities together. As Samoa showed us last year, hosting a special sporting occasion like the Youth Games empowers even the smallest nations to have a profound and distinctive impact – not just on their own young people or their own communities – but on an international scale.
Northern Ireland’s successful bid for the Commonwealth Youth Games centres around an ambitious promise of an inclusive and accessible event delivered for and by young people – as athletes, volunteers and organisers. All athletes will be housed in existing university accommodation and the sports programme will be determined at a later date. An even gender split of athletes is regarded as a high priority, consistent with Belfast 2021’s ambitions to use the Games to inspire increased participation and active lifestyles, especially for young girls.
Alongside the sporting action, the VII Commonwealth Youth Games will offer a diverse and dynamic cultural and Commonwealth celebration, showcasing Belfast’s young people and the city’s ambitious regeneration projects such as the city’s Titanic Quarter.
Welcoming the news, Commonwealth Games Chairman, Paul Bush OBE said: “I am delighted to hear that the 2021 Commonwealth Youth Games has been awarded to Belfast. It is great news that the future of this important event has been secured for the next two editions, enabling CGA’s to start the planning process for taking teams to compete in The Bahamas and closer to home in Northern Ireland. It will also provide a real source of inspiration for Scotland’s young athletes, excited about progressing through the sporting pathway to represent their country on the international stage.
“The Youth Games has an excellent track record for developing athletes who go on to deliver success for Team Scotland at the Commonwealth Games and I have no doubt it will continue to do so in future years.”
The Commonwealth Games Federation has announced that The Bahamas has been awarded the 2017 edition of the Commonwealth Youth Games, aiming to unite 1000 young athletes aged 14-18 in a Caribbean carnival of impactful competition, personal development and new Commonwealth friendships.
The sixth edition of the Commonwealth Youth Games will take place from 19-23 July 2017 in the nation’s capital, Nassau and seven sports are proposed: Aquatics (Swimming), Athletics (Track and Field), Boxing, Cycling (Road), Judo, Rugby Sevens and Tennis. It will be the first time Judo has been presented at a Commonwealth Youth Games.
As part of the Federation’s commitment to support peaceful, sustainable and prosperous Commonwealth communities, it will be the second edition of the Youth Games to be held on a Small Island Developing State, following the hugely successful Samoa 2015 Commonwealth Youth Games in September last year. It will also be the first Commonwealth Games event to be held in the Caribbean for over 50 years, with Commonwealth athletes last participating in the 1966 Commonwealth Games in Kingston, Jamaica.
Speaking after the CGF’s Executive Board meeting in Gibraltar, Commonwealth Games Federation President Louise Martin CBE said: “It gives me the greatest pleasure to announce that the Executive Board of the Commonwealth Games Federation has unanimously voted to award the upcoming edition of the Commonwealth Youth Games to the Bahamas.
“The Commonwealth Youth Games are a unique and empowering opportunity to celebrate and engage young people on the level playing field of sport. I congratulate and commend the Bahamas Bid Committee for their passion, commitment and expertise and look forward to helping realise their dream of an impactful and inspiring Games for the Bahamas, the Caribbean and the Commonwealth.”
Almost all events will be held in the same sporting precinct, the Queen Elizabeth Sports Centre, which includes the world-class 15,000-seat Thomas A Robinson stadium, host to the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and Athletics. The sporting action will also reach out to the communities and streets of the island, with the Cycling competition to be held on the streets of New Providence.
With just over 500 days to go to the Opening Ceremony, the Youth Games partners across the Bahamas plan to draw on their experiences successfully coordinating the 2014 and 2015 IAAF World Relay Championships. The island is also a former host of CHOGM (1985) and the most recent Commonwealth Education Ministers Meeting (2015).
Welcoming the announcement, Bahamas Commonwealth Games Association (CGA) Secretary General Romell K. Knowles said: “We jubilantly thank the executives and members of the Commonwealth Games Federation for the confidence placed in our country by the award of the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games to The Bahamas. We also thank the CGA of St. Lucia, who first had the vision to bring the Games to the Caribbean. Additionally, The Bahamas CGA expresses enthusiastic solidarity with our Caribbean brothers and sisters in the regional Commonwealth Games Associations as we will all be hosts to our fellow athletes and officials from across the Commonwealth.
“The sixth edition of the Commonwealth Youth Games is by far the largest sporting event ever undertaken by The Bahamas as a host and we look forward to presenting the best Commonwealth Youth Games ever.
“Having been awarded these Games, thousands of young Commonwealth athletes will now be inspired to compete in the sport of their choice in the hope of representing their country at these prestigious Games. Everyone wants to come to The Bahamas.”
Jon Doig, Chief Executive of Commonweaslth Games Scotland said:
“We are delighted that the Bahamas has been confirmed as Commonwealth Youth Games host for 2017 and send our congratulations to all involved in bringing the event to the Caribbean for the first time. These Games will be a fantastic opportunity for Scotland’s young athletes.
“We now look forward to recruiting the right team of staff to support our athletes and working closely with the sports on the Bahamas 2017 programme as our preparations build towards the Games.”
The Bahamas is a Caribbean archipelago of 700 islands spread across 100,000 square miles, of which 30 are inhabited by a population of under 400,000. It is located around 50 miles off the coast of Florida. In addition to the sporting action, the VI Commonwealth Youth Games promises a rich, colourful and diverse cultural and Commonwealth celebration, inspired by the islands’ world-famous carnival parades which acknowledge and recognise the Commonwealth diaspora and emancipation of former African slaves in a vibrant musical celebration.
As Team Scotland’s athletes enter Olympic year and intensify their drive towards becoming part of Team GB in Rio, Kirsty Gilmour had almost the perfect start as she overcame the two players immediately above her in the badminton world rankings to reach the final of the Malaysia Masters in Penang.
Unseeded in the competition and currently the World No.20, Kirsty survived a scare in the second round, fighting back from 20-15 down in the deciding game to win against Japanese qualifier Kawakami. Finding her stride and playing some inspired badminton she then went on to defeat Ongbumrungphan and Hashimoto, ranked World No 19 and 18 respectively, to set up a final clash with P.V Sindhu of India.
Kirsty had crossed paths with her final opponent before – on the podium at Glasgow 2014. On that occasion, though the two did not meet on the court, Kirsty took silver to Sindhu’s bronze. However, Sindhu, two time World bronze medallist and current World No.12, was always going to be a tough opponent.
Ultimately Kirsty found the Indian 3rd seed too strong, going down 21-15 21-9, but despite her disappointment in the final she will take a great deal from what was a fantastic performance at the Grand Prix Gold event.
She said: “Of course I’m disappointed with the result in the final. The shuttle felt so sensitive today. I tried everything in my power to get it under control and find some rhythm. I managed it in some rallies but not consistently enough. But overall it’s been a good tournament for me.
“I’ve learned a lot this week and Chris (Bruil) and I have a plan going forward to improve some key areas when we get home and back to training.
“But for now, I’m looking forward to testing myself out in the Syed Modi International.”
With that tournament, another Grand Prix Gold event, starting on Tuesday in Lucknow, India, Kirsty doesn’t have long to wait for her next challenge on the road towards a place at Rio 2016.