Robbo seeks home comfort
Nathan Robertson hopes home advantage at London 2012 can inspire his GB badminton successors.
Last Updated: 24/07/12 11:39am
Nathan Robertson hopes home advantage at London 2012 can inspire his Great Britain badminton successors to follow him on to the Olympic podium.
Robertson is widely regarded as Britain's greatest player having won mixed doubles silver at Athens in 2004 among a host of other accolades.
He retired this summer after failing to qualify for one last shot at gold on home soil but believes those competing in his place - notably mixed doubles duo Chris Adcock and Imogen Bankier - can excel.
The 35-year-old said: "They have a chance to make household names for themselves.
"A lot of them are coming in as unknowns because they are first-time Olympians, not major Commonwealth or Olympic medallists.
"This is a chance for badminton and a chance for individuals to stick their names in history.
"We have done it in the past, we did it in Sydney and Athens when he got ourselves on the podiums.
"We have a chance again and it will be emphasised even more because it is in London."
Daunting
The Anglo-Scottish pairing of Adcock and Bankier will carry the chief medal hopes having burst onto the global stage last year by winning World Championships silver.
They will face a reunion with the pair that beat them to gold in that event - which was also held at Wembley Arena, the Olympic venue - in the group stage next week.
Zhang Nan and Zhao Yunlei remain the world number ones and top seeds but Adcock and Bankier will be encouraged having also beaten them twice since.
Alexandr Nikolaenko and Valeria Sorokina of Russia and Germany's Michael Fuchs and Birgit Michels make up Group A, from which the top two pairs will qualify for the quarter-finals.
Top men's singles hope Rajiv Ouseph, the 15th seed, was paired with Sweden's Henri Hurskainen and Kevin Cordon of Guatemala in Group M of his event.
Ireland's Scott Evans, the world number 76, faces a daunting task against reigning champion and favourite Lin Dan, the man widely regarded as the best player of all time.
There will be no second chances with just the two players in Group P going forward.
In the women's event Scotland's Susan Egelstaff was given a difficult draw against 12th seed Sayaka Sato of Japan and Slovenian Maja Tvrdy in Group H.
Chloe Magee of Ireland, the world number 44, will face Pi Hongyan of France, a quarter-finalist in 2008, and Egypt's Hadia Hosny in Group I.
There are 16 groups in the singles competitions with only the winners going through to the knockout stages.
