Borders badminton star Callum Smith happy to have made it to round of 16 at Commonwealth Games
Callum Smith might not be a bonnie prince, and the 20-year-old found out the hard way that he is still the young pretender to Toby Penty’s British badminton throne.
Smith lost 2-0 – by 25-23 and 21-12 – to British No 1 Penty in the men’s singles’ round of 16 at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham last Friday at this summer’s Commonwealth Games.
Greenlaw’s Smith was making his major games debut in the West Midlands, and despite losing to Penty, 29, he’s taking plenty of positives from his display.
“This is the best badminton I’ve played and I’m happy with that performance, although I did lose,” said Smith.
“I’m grateful to play Toby. I’ve looked up to him as such a good player. He’s played well this trip, so I’m happy with the result overall.”
At times, Smith went toe to toe with Penty and had four game points to take a 1-0 lead, but they came and went, with the Englishman’s experience and grit getting him through a game he admitted he was playing poorly in.
“I just don’t think I ever got going. It was a bit of a struggle,” said Penty, beaten 2-0 by India’s Srikanth Nammalwar Kidambi in the quarter-finals the day after.
For Scottish champion Smith, however, it was all about enjoying the experience and using it to push on with his development.
The crowd in hall one of the NEC usually gets behind home nations athletes, but there was no love lost for Smith when facing home favourite Penty.
“This is definitely the biggest crowd I’ve ever played in front of,” said Smith. “That was the first time the home crowd was against me, but, even so, there were still a lot of Scottish fans supporting.
“It’s good to have the support. It pushes you on.”
If Smith has eyes on heading to the Paris Olympics under the Team GB banner in two years’ time, Penty is the man he must usurp.
Nearly 300 years ago, Bonnie Prince Charlie fled after defeat, but Smith has no such plans, saying: “Anything could happen in two years. I’m going to train hard and see what happens.”
National Lottery players raise more than £30m a week for good causes including vital funding for sport, from grass-roots to elite. Find out how your numbers make amazing happen at www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk and get involved by using the hashtag #TNLAthletes.