Source: Oriental Image/Zheng Hongliang
[Saba Sports News] Kirsty Gilmour, a prominent LGBTQ player in badminton, is ranked 22nd in the Badminton World Federation’s women’s singles world rankings. With numerous appearances in singles and doubles competitions, Gilmour has achieved remarkable success, including winning the BWF Championships, multiple Commonwealth Games medals, four European Games silver medals, and participating twice in the Olympics. In 2014, Gilmour made history as the first Scottish woman to reach the singles final in the Commonwealth Games. In 2021, she publicly came out as LGBTQ, becoming one of the few openly LGBTQ players in professional badminton. Despite her accomplishments, Gilmour has yet to achieve success at the Olympics, failing to advance from the group stage in her previous two appearances. However, Gilmour approaches the Paris Olympics with a carefree attitude, focusing on enjoying the game rather than the results. She has learned to stay calm during preparations and avoid unnecessary stress. According to Gilmour, forward thinking and overthinking are futile in badminton. Instead, she emphasizes the importance of self-confidence and belief in the efforts made during preparations.