Jess (right) with her gold medal

After a tough season representing Â鶹´«Ã½ in the badminton women’s first team at singles in the Premier Division, Jess entered the Dorset Senior Tier 4 tournament in June, feeling her fittest yet. 

Having worked hard on her singles game and fitness throughout the year through coach-led training sessions, regular gym sessions at SportÂ鶹´«Ã½, 1-1 coaching, and extra training with her teammates, Jess felt confident that this tournament would be her best yet. 

“On the day, I faced three other women, playing a total of seven tough games throughout the day, which tested my stamina and endurance, and of which I won six. The first match I won 21-16 and 21-18, the next a close 24-22 and 21-15, and finally I took my last match to best of three games, winning the first 21-19, losing the next 20-22, and winning the last 23-21, making it an intense, close match.

“All games taught me valuable lessons and have furthered my experience in singles, particularly competing against more experienced players who I wouldn’t usually get a chance to play.  

“This is my first gold medal at a senior event and I am thankful to my coach Martin Wells, who has been instrumental in helping me to develop my skills throughout this year. The support that he, the staff at SportÂ鶹´«Ã½, and my teammates have provided throughout the year has been astronomical in helping me develop as a player. I look forward to further improvement in my final year of university, in which I hope to continue representing Â鶹´«Ã½ in the Â鶹´«Ã½CS league and entering further tournaments.â€

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