Perth badminton players Dan and Aileen Travers win medals at World Senior Championships

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Perth badminton players have returned from the World Senior Championships in South Korea with medals proudly hanging around their necks.Former Commonwealth Games competitor Dan Travers added to his ever-growing collection with a silver in the mixed doubles 65 age group alongside fellow Scot Christine Black.And wife Aileen Travers picked up an impressive bronze playing with England’s Betty Blair in the women’s doubles 55 age group.Dan, who was dealing with a knee injury throughout the tournament, is certainly no stranger to success on the grandest of stages.It was almost gold in his mixed doubles final but in-form Korean pair Eun Gu Lee and Yeon Yu edged the showdown 21-18, 21-17.“It is so difficult when you get older in terms of how your body stands up,” Dan told the PA this week.“Mine was not good before I went away to the tournament.

I had been doing everything right with what the physio had told me and preparation was going well.“But I pulled a tiny muscle behind my knee and actually thought I was not going to be able to play at all.“What we had to do in the mixed doubles was just keep hitting the court and make them beat us.

The Korean chap in the final was a very good player but we did not play too well.“But I was delighted to come away with a medal because I thought, at the start of the week, I was going to get nothing because of my leg.

These players are all fit and are playing five or six days a week.”Dan admits he is a terrible spectator and watched nervously as Aileen was out on court to secure a bronze.“Aileen won a medal too, which she was not expecting,” he said. “She did really well.“I was watching and I’m a nightmare.