Balloch badminton star Rachel Sugden has already made a big impact on her Scotland debut, helping the women’s team to their first ever medal at the European Team Championships.
Team Scotland scooped bronze in Liévin, France, last weekend – with Rachel defeating opponents from Norway, Spain, Poland and Russia along the way.
And the opportunity to test herself against Europe’s best is something that the 18-year-old has relished.
She told the Lennox: “I got to play against some of the top players in Europe, and it was really eye opening coming up against them.
“To win my first cap the first time Scotland have won a medal at the championships is incredible.”
Badminton talent is something that runs in the family with Rachel’s mum, Karen, a former British Junior Champion.
However, a humble Rachel now admits that she might’ve topped her mum’s achievements.
She continued: “I think I’m better than her now although I don’t want to sound cheeky saying that. My mum playing badminton meant that I started when I was only like eight or nine, then I got into national squads and I’ve really been playing ever since.
“When I was 10 I won the under-11 nationals and I’ve always been very driven, I enjoy training hard.”
And Rachel hopes that dedication will help her achieve her biggest goal in the sport as she juggles training with a mechanical engineering degree at Strathclyde University.
She added: “It’s really difficult, I’ve always had to juggle school and badminton, but uni have been really supportive.
“You have to work hard to catch up if you’ve been away, but they couldn’t have been any more helpful.
“I’m definitely someone with a lot of goals, I’d love to go to the Olympics and win a medal – but obviously that’s very much a long-term goal.
“This is still my first year in senior badminton so there are still plenty of challenges ahead.”
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