Gilmour learns their Olympic women’s singles draw
Team GB’s Kirsty Gilmour has discovered her opponents for the group stages of the women’s singles at Paris 2024.
Gilmour was placed in Group N as the draw was carried out at the Badminton World Federation headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.
The men’s doubles draw, which will feature Ben Lane and Sean Vendy, was postponed following a Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) hearing and will take place at a later date.
The last name to be drawn out, Gilmour will face the sixth seed He Bing Jiao of China and Azerbaijan’s Keisha Fatimah Azzahra, the world No.77 in the women’s singles group stages.
Gilmour has twice beaten the world No. 8 He with her most recent victory coming at the 2017 World Championships.
.@KirstyGilmourr will head to @Paris2024 for her third Olympics with one interesting ambition…
Not being afraid to lose 🏸
— Team GB (@TeamGB) May 30, 2024
He has won the four most recent meetings between the two players, including at June’s Indonesia Open.
Gilmour, who is ranked 24th in the world, has only faced Azzahra once previously, winning in straight games at last year’s European Women’s Team Championships Qualification in Azzahra’s home country.
The Bellshill shuttler is competing at her third Olympic Games, having represented Team GB in the women’s singles at both Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
She is yet to make it out of the group stage with injury hampering her Rio campaign before being drawn against home favourite and fourth seed Akane Yamaguchi in Tokyo.
Only the top finisher in each of the 13 groups advances to the round of 16, with the highest finisher in the groups containing the three top seeds earning an automatic place in the quarter-finals.
The top three seeds are An Se Young of South Korea, defending champion Chen Yu Fei of China and Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei who will be competing in her final tournament before her retirement.
2024 YONEX All England winner Carolina Marin is the fourth seed and will look to add to her gold in Rio after having to miss Tokyo through injury.
The badminton will take place at Porte de la Chapelle Arena with the competition beginning on 27 July and concluding on 5 August.
