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A former student of the University of Portsmouth has been selected to play badminton for England at the Beijing Olympics. Andrew Smith, 24, grew up in the city but it was meeting the retired director of finance for the university David Hunt which had the biggest impact on him as a sportsman. Mr Hunt has coached Andrew since he was 11 and is himself a former international player and England coach. The two fly off to Jakarta for the Thomas Cup men's world team finals today where Andrew, ranked 31 in the world, hopes to reach at least the quarter-finals. Andrew said: "Being selected for the Olympics is a big deal. It's a different event to all the others and top seeds can go out in the first round so anything can happen. "I am quite young for an international player - 27 is considered the best age for a badminton player which means I should be at my peak for the London Olympics. "The key to being a good player is starting young - I was about two when Mum and Dad gave me a racket. They were keen on lots of sports and Mum played hockey for the county. You don't have to be that young when you start but it takes a long time and a lot of work to become world standard. You have to be very skilful and physically strong." Andrew met David when both played at the old Nuffield badminton hall in the mid-1990s when David was director of finance for the university. He is now treasurer for Badminton England. David said: "I have always worked in the city and played at the old badminton hall and helped develop the young players. I played for England in the 1970s and became England coach after I retired." He now coaches Andrew exclusively and helped him through a six-month lay-off when, aged 19, Andrew couldn't walk after knee surgery. Andrew said: "I had three screws in my left knee holding it together and the doctors gave me a 50:50 chance of playing again. But David kept giving me his support even then." The pair still train in the university's Nuffield and St Paul's Sports Centres when they are home though in the last three months they have travelled to nine countries to take part in tournaments. Only 38 men worldwide have been selected to play and Andrew is the only England representative. News Source: www.port.ac.uk |
