| Imogen Bankier | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Born | (1987-11-18)18 November 1987 (age 37) Glasgow, Scotland |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) |
| Handedness | Right |
| Coach | Peter Jeffrey |
| Women's & mixed doubles | |
| Highest ranking | 19 (WD withPetya Nedelcheva 14 August 2014) 10 XD (withChris Adcock 5 April 2012) 11 XD (withRobert Blair 5 April 2012) |
Medal record | |
| BWF profile | |
Imogen Bankier (born 18 November 1987) is a businesswoman and formerbadminton player from Scotland.[1] After starting playing the sport at the age of 9, Bankier won the national championships at every age level from Under 17 upwards. The highlight of her professional career was reaching the final of the mixed doubles at the2011 World Championships in Wembley, London. She and her partnerChris Adcock were defeated in the match by the Chinese team ofZhang Nan andZhao Yunlei.[2]
Bankier is right handed, 5 ft 7in tall and used equipment manufactured byYonex, one of hersponsors. Her other sponsor is Glenkeir Whiskies which is run by her father,Celtic chairmanIan Bankier.[3] Imogen was one of several high-profile British and International players to speak out against theBadminton World Federation's plan to force female players to wear short skirts. The BWF claimed the move was aimed at"raising badminton's profile and that of women players" whereas Bankier hit back"I will fight to make sure this dated and simply sexist rule does not happen."[4]
As of 2016 Bankier resides inParis,France, running a whisky store on the Place De La Madeleine in the8th arrondissement.[5]
Bankier started playing badminton at the age of nine in what she describes as"very competitive Bankier family games in the back garden."[6] Before competing at senior level in 2007, she won women's doubles and mixed doubles titles in the Under-17, Under-19, Under-21 and Under-23 age groups as well as various international open championships in doubles. Since making the step up she has taken a total of sixteen Scottish titles, six coming in the women's doubles and ten in the mixed doubles.[7]
Bankier's first major international tournament was the2008 European Championships in Herning, Denmark where she lost out to the English pair in the quarter-finals of both doubles tournaments. She returned to compete in the mixed doubles at the2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India where she again fell to an English pairing (who would go on to win silver) in the quarter-finals.[8]
Bankier's career highlight to date however came on 14 August 2011 when she won a silver medal in the mixed doubles event at theWorld Championships. In a surprise run, she and her English partnerChris Adcock defeated four seeded pairs before losing out 21–15, 21–7 to the world number 1 pair ofZhang Nan andZhao Yunlei in the final.[9] Despite being somewhat disappointed with her personal performance in the final, Bankier was quoted as saying that her play in the tournament as a whole would hopefully increase her chances of being selected for the2012 London Olympics.[10] She and Adcock followed this up a year later by winning a bronze medal at theEuropean Championships in Karlskrona, Sweden. Shortly before these championships the pair broke into the top 10 of the world rankings for the first time.
On 30 May 2012, Bankier and Adcock were selected to represent Great Britain in thebadminton mixed doubles at the 2012 London Olympics[11] but were surprisingly eliminated in the opening round. On 30 October 2012, she was leaving the team GB training group stating"The GB programme is geared towards long-term development of a system for British badminton, but I don’t believe the environment and the programme at Milton Keynes are the best way forward for me, for Rio in 2016." This also ended her partnership with Adcock. She thanked the team for helping her develop as a player and stressed that she was not thinking of retiring but was joiningBadminton Scotland to prepare for the2014 Commonwealth Games in her home city.[12] In that championship she won bronze medal with Robert Blair, defeating the Malaysian pairChan Peng Soon andLai Pei Jing in the play off match.
Her most recent mixed doubles partner was fellow ScotRobert Blair and her women's doubles partner was BulgarianPetya Nedelcheva.
In February 2015, after winning the Scottish National Championships in doubles and mixed doubles, it was announced that she was"taking something of a sabbatical as she tries to decide what her sporting future holds". Bankier stated she had decided not to try and qualify for the2016 Summer Olympics inRio de Janeiro as she said she was struggling to find a partner she likes playing with. She stated that she has started working for her father's whisky business, Glenkeir Whiskies.[13]
After the 2016 Nationals, where Bankier won her record[14] 10th consecutive mixed doubles titles. Before the match she was presented with an award for her services to the game by Badminton Scotland president Dan Travers. Before the game Chief Executive Anne Smillie paid tribute:
"She is by far the most successful women's player Scotland has produced and has enjoyed a tremendous badminton career. Now we hope her new business career is just as successful. Today she is bidding for her 10th consecutive mixed doubles title to go with her six women’s doubles titles. But little did we know back in 2007 that Imogen Bankier would go on to become not just the best in Scotland but one of the world’s best doubles players."[15]
Mixed doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Wembley Arena,London, England |  Chris Adcock |  Zhang NanZhao Yunlei | 15–21, 7–21 |  Silver |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Emirates Arena,Glasgow, Scotland |  Robert Blair |  Chan Peng SoonLai Pei Jing | 21–17, 21–11 |  Bronze |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Telenor Arena,Karlskrona, Sweden | Chris Adcock |  Robert MateusiakNadieżda Zięba | 17–21, 21–17, 19–21 | Bronze |
The BWF Grand Prix had two levels, theGrand Prix and Grand Prix Gold. It was a series of badminton tournaments sanctioned by theBadminton World Federation (BWF) and played between 2007 and 2017.
Mixed doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Bitburger Open | Robert Blair |  Kristof HoppBirgit Overzier | 17–21, 17–21 |  Runner-up |
| 2010 | German Open | Robert Blair |  Yohan Hadikusumo WiratamaTse Ying Suet | 5–15 retired | Runner-up |
| 2013 | Scottish Open | Robert Blair | Chris LangridgeHeather Olver | 21–16, 21–14 |  Winner |
| 2014 | German Open | Robert Blair |  Ko Sung-hyunKim Ha-na | 21–15, 21–18 | Winner |
| 2014 | Scottish Open | Robert Blair |  Niclas NøhrSara Thygesen | 21–18, 21–14 | Winner |
Women's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Slovak International | Emma Mason | Nadieżda KostiuczykKamila Augustyn | 7–15, 3–15 | Runner-up |
| 2005 | Hungarian International | Emma Mason |  Ekaterina AnaninaAnastasia Russkikh | 4–15, 15–10, 5–15 | Runner-up |
| 2005 | Irish International | Emma Mason | Jenny WallworkSarah Bok | 5–15, 15–3, 16–17 | Runner-up |
| 2006 | Hungarian International | Emma Mason | Ekaterina Ananina Anastasia Russkikh | 18–21, 8–21 | Runner-up |
| 2006 | Iceland International | Emma Mason |  Tinna HelgadóttirRagna Ingólfsdóttir | 21–16, 21–19 | Winner |
| 2006 | Norwegian International | Emma Mason |  Chloe MageeBing Huang | 21–16, 21–19 | Winner |
| 2006 | Irish International | Emma Mason |  Karina de WitGinny Severien | 21–14, 11–21, 22–20 | Winner |
| 2013 | Finnish Open |  Petya Nedelcheva | Lena GrebakMaria Helsbøl | 21–10, 21–24 | Winner |
| 2013 | Dutch International | Petya Nedelcheva |  Rie EtoYu Wakita | 21–14, 18–21, 12–21 | Runner-up |
| 2013 | Kharkiv International | Petya Nedelcheva | Lena Grebak Maria Helsbøl | 21–11, 21–12 | Winner |
| 2013 | Belgian International | Petya Nedelcheva | Gabriela StoevaStefani Stoeva | 13–21, 21–11, 21–18 | Winner |
| 2013 | Czech International | Petya Nedelcheva | Jillie CooperKirsty Gilmour | 21–6, 21–14 | Winner |
| 2014 | Orléans International | Petya Nedelcheva | Gabriela Stoeva Stefani Stoeva | 21–14, 21–7 | Winner |
| 2014 | Spanish Open | Kirsty Gilmour | Gabriela Stoeva Stefani Stoeva | 14–21, 9–21 | Runner-up |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Welsh International | Watson Briggs |  Valiyaveetil DijuJwala Gutta | 15–12, 2–15, 9–15 | Runner-up |
| 2006 | Hungarian International | Watson Briggs | Vladimir MalkovAnastasia Russkikh | 12–21, 17–21 | Runner-up |
| 2007 | Scottish International | Robert Blair | Aleksandr NikolaenkoNina Vislova | 15–21, 22–20, 21–9 | Winner |
| 2009 | Finnish International | Robin Middleton | Vitalij Durkin Nina Vislova | 18–21, 13–21 | Runner-up |
| 2010 | Irish International | Chris Adcock | Christian John SkovgaardBritta Andersen | 21–13, 21–11 | Winner |
| 2010 | Scottish International | Chris Adcock | Till ZanderGitte Köhler | 21–10, 21–12 | Winner |
| 2010 | Italian International | Chris Adcock |  Gert Kunka Amanda Högström | 21–14, 21–15 | Winner |
| 2012 | Finnish Open | Chris Adcock | Anders Skaarup RasmussenSara Thygesen | 22–24, 21–12, 21–13 | Winner |
| 2013 | French International | Robert Blair | Marcus EllisAlyssa Lim | 21–17, 21–17 | Winner |
| 2013 | Kharkiv International | Robert Blair | Kim AstrupMaria Helsbøl | 20–22, 21–9, 21–18 | Winner |
| 2013 | Bulgarian International | Robert Blair | Robert MateusiakAgnieszka Wojtkowska | 21–17, 21–15 | Winner |
| 2013 | Irish Open | Robert Blair | Jacco ArendsSelena Piek | 21–9, 19–21, 13–21 | Runner-up |
| 2014 | Swedish Masters | Robert Blair | Peter KäsbauerIsabel Herttrich | 24–22, 14–21, 21–16 | Winner |
| 2014 | Orléans International | Robert Blair | Niclas Nøhr Sara Thygesen | 21–13, 19–21, 21–18 | Winner |
| 2014 | Spanish Open | Robert Blair | Robert Mateusiak Agnieszka Wojtkowska | 21–13, 14–21, 21–16 | Winner |
