Gillian Margaret Clark MBE (born 2 September 1961) is an English badminton commentator and former badminton player who specialized in doubles.[2]
Career
editClark was awarded Distinguished Sercive Award by the International Badminton Federation in 1995.[3]
World Championships
editClark won two bronze medals at the World Championships a decade apart; for women's doubles in 1983, and for mixed doubles in 1993.
Olympic Games
editClark competed in badminton at the 1992 Summer Olympics in women's doubles with Julie Bradbury. In the first round they defeated Erma Sulistianingsih and Rosiana Tendean of Indonesia and in the second round Katrin Schmidt and Kerstin Ubben of Germany. In the quarterfinals they were beaten by the eventual gold medalists, Hwang Hye-young and Chung So-young of Korea, 5–15, 5–15.
All England Championship
editShe reached the finals of the prestigious All England Open Championships; in the 1985 mixed doubles with Thomas Kihlström, the 1990 doubles with Gillian Gowers and 1994 the mixed with Chris Hunt.
Commonwealth Games
editClark has won twelve Commonwealth Games medals spanning four Games from 1982 until 1994. The medal breakdown was six gold medals (one with Gillian Gowers in the doubles, one with Chris Hunt in the mixed doubles and four in the team event), three silver medals all in the doubles and three bronze medals in the singles and mixed doubles.[4][5][6][7]
European Championships
editShe won four gold medals at the biennial European Championships; three consecutively (1982, 1984, and 1986) in women's doubles and one in mixed doubles (1988).
Personal life
editToday Gillian Margaret Clark a.k.a. Gill Clark is known as the “voice of badminton” and she has been the lead commentator for the Badminton World Federation (BWF) for the past 25 years. Clark as a former world No. 1 and a six-time Commonwealth Games gold medal winner has experienced making the transition to a leading badminton commentator challenging in the beginning. Gillian overcame the challenges, gradually becoming a worldwide beloved figure in the commentary booth called "oma Gill" by many. Her signature catchphrase, “I don’t believe it,” has become synonymous with extraordinary moments on the badminton court.
Clark was harassed by a stalker for more than 10 years since 2001. The perpetrator was diagnosed with persistent delusional personality disorder and jailed for 2 years.[8]
Achievements
editWorld Championships
editWomen's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Brøndbyhallen, Copenhagen, Denmark | 3–15, 17–18 |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | National Indoor Arena, Birmingham, England | 8–15, 15–18 |
World Cup
editWomen's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Stadium Negara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | 5–15, 3–15 | |||
| 1984 | Istora Senayan, Jakarta, Indonesia | 15–12, 9–15, 10–15 | |||
| 1991 | Macau Forum, Macau | 5–15, 16–18 | |||
| 1992 | Guangdong Gymnasium, Guangzhou, China |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Istora Senayan, Jakarta, Indonesia | 8–15, 15–17 | |||
| 1987 | Stadium Negara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | 11–15, 15–1, 4–15 | |||
| 1990 | Istora Senayan, Jakarta, Indonesia | 11–15, 9–15 | |||
| 1993 | Indira Gandhi Arena, New Delhi, India | 12–15, 11–15 |
Commonwealth Games
editWomen's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Chandler Sports Hall, Brisbane, Australia | Walkover | ||
| 1986 | Meadowbank Sports Centre, Edinburgh, Scotland | 11–3, 11–3 |
Women's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Chandler Sports Hall, Brisbane, Australia | 15–13, 16–18, 4–15 | |||
| 1986 | Meadowbank Sports Centre, Edinburgh, Scotland |
15–6, 15–7 | |||
| 1990 | Auckland Badminton Hall, Auckland, New Zealand |
14–18, 15–2, 9–15 | |||
| 1994 | McKinnon Gym, Victoria, Canada | 9–15, 11–15 |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Auckland Badminton Hall, Auckland, New Zealand |
Walkover | |||
| 1994 | McKinnon Gym, Victoria, Canada | 15–11, 15–4 |
European Championships
editWomen's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Sporthalle, Böblingen, West Germany | 15–3, 15–11 | |||
| 1984 | Guild Hall, Preston, England | 15–17, 15–12, 15–2 | |||
| 1986 | Fyrishallen, Uppsala, Sweden | 15–11, 15–12 | |||
| 1988 | Badmintonsenteret, Kristiansand, Norway | 7–15, 4–15 | |||
| 1990 | Luzhniki, Moscow, Soviet Union | 10–15, 15–11, 15–17 | |||
| 1994 | Maaspoort Sports and Events, Den Bosch, Netherlands | 11–15, 15–12, 14–16 |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Guild Hall, Preston, England | 11–15, 8–15 | |||
| 1988 | Badmintonsenteret, Kristiansand, Norway | 17–16, 4–15, 15–10 |
European Junior Championships
editGirls' doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Mülheim an der Ruhr, West Germany | 15–12, 15–9 |
IBF World Grand Prix
editThe World Badminton Grand Prix sanctioned by International Badminton Federation (IBF) since 1983.
Women's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Japan Open | 15–6, 15–8 | |||
| 1983 | Dutch Open | 15–8, 17–16 | |||
| 1984 | German Open | 14–17, 14–18 | |||
| 1984 | Malaysia Open | 10–15, 13–15 | |||
| 1985 | Chinese Taipei Open | 10–15, 17–14, 15–0 | |||
| 1985 | Dutch Open | 15–4, 15–2 | |||
| 1985 | Malaysia Open | 15–10, 15–11 | |||
| 1985 | India Open | 7–15, 12–15 | |||
| 1985 | English Masters | 11–15, 5–15 | |||
| 1986 | Carlton-Intersport-Cup | 15–9, 15–11 | |||
| 1986 | Denmark Open | 9–15, 18–15, 17–16 | |||
| 1986 | English Masters | 5–15, 11–15 | |||
| 1987 | Poona Open | 15–3, 15–5 | |||
| 1987 | German Open | 6–15, 10–15 | |||
| 1987 | English Masters | 8–15, 12–15 | |||
| 1987 | Denmark Open | 7–15, 10–15 | |||
| 1988 | Japan Open | 2–15, 15–7, 6–15 | |||
| 1988 | German Open | 8–15, 15–3, 4–15 | |||
| 1988 | Dutch Open | 9–15, 15–9, 15–6 | |||
| 1988 | English Masters | 6–15, 8–15 | |||
| 1988 | Scottish Open | Walkover | |||
| 1989 | Japan Open | 15–4, 10–15, 15–3 | |||
| 1989 | Poona Open | 4–15, 15–13, 4–15 | |||
| 1989 | German Open | 15–10, 2–15, 9–15 | |||
| 1989 | Dutch Open | 11–15, 9–15 | |||
| 1989 | Scottish Open | 15–10, 15–6 | |||
| 1990 | Chinese Taipei Open | 15–3, 15–6 | |||
| 1990 | Finnish Open | 12–15, 12–15 | |||
| 1990 | All England Open | 15–6, 4–15, 4–15 | |||
| 1990 | Singapore Open | 15–12, 15–13 | |||
| 1990 | Scottish Open | 16–18, 11–15 | |||
| 1991 | Japan Open | 6–15, 18–15, 15–9 | |||
| 1991 | Finnish Open | 15–9, 14–17, 15–11 | |||
| 1991 | Malaysia Open | 10–15, 11–15 | |||
| 1991 | Swedish Open | 13–15, 15–9, 15–10 | |||
| 1992 | Indonesia Open | 12–15, 9–15 | |||
| 1992 | Singapore Open | 16–18, 15–4, 15–8 | |||
| 1992 | World Grand Prix Finals | 7–15, 16–17 | |||
| 1993 | Swiss Open | 15–8, 15–7 |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Malaysia Open | 15–6, 15–5 | |||
| 1985 | All England Open | 10–15, 12–15 | |||
| 1986 | Indonesia Open | 15–4, 15–5 | |||
| 1987 | Chinese Taipei Open | 15–7, 14–18, 15–5 | |||
| 1987 | Malaysia Open | 15–7, 15–6 | |||
| 1988 | Poona Open | 15–8, 15–6 | |||
| 1988 | German Open | 9–15, 18–14, 15–4 | |||
| 1988 | Thailand Open | 17–14, 4–15, 15–9 | |||
| 1991 | Finnish Open | 12–15, 9–15 | |||
| 1993 | Chinese Taipei Open | Walkover | |||
| 1993 | World Grand Prix Finals | 9–15, 7–15 | |||
| 1994 | All England Open | 10–15, 11–15 |
IBF International
editWomen's singles
| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | French Open |
Women's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Czechoslovakian International | 15–9, 15–5 | |||
| 1980 | Czechoslovakian International | 15–5, 15–5 | |||
| 1982 | Scottish Open | 15–3, 15–8 | |||
| 1982 | Indonesia Open | 17–14, 14–17, 15–12 | |||
| 1982 | Canadian Open | 17–14, 15–6 | |||
| 1983 | English Masters | 12–7 retired | |||
| 1984 | English Masters | 5–15, 1–15 | |||
| 1991 | Wimbledon International | 5–15, 15–10, 15–5 | |||
| 1991 | Spanish International | 12–15, 15–12, 15–7 |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Czechoslovakian International | 9–15, 6–15 | |||
| 1991 | Spanish International | 15–7, 15–3 |
References
edit- ^ "Gillian Clark Biography and Statistics". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 20 August 2009. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
- ^ Tiwari, Rakesh. "Gillian Clark - The Voice of Badminton". Sportskeeda. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
- ^ Ward, Roy (November 1995). "By their deeds you should know them" (PDF). World Badminton. p. 8. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
- ^ "1982 Athletes". Team England.
- ^ "1986 Athletes". Team England.
- ^ "1990 Athletes". Team England.
- ^ "Athletes and results". Commonwealth Games Federation.
- ^ Spereall, David (10 February 2018). "Stalker's 17-year campaign of harassment against BBC star". Hull Live. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
External links
edit- Gillian Clark at BWFbadminton.com
- Gillian Clark at BWF.tournamentsoftware.com
- Gillian Clark at Olympedia
- Gillian Clark at Olympics.com
- Gillian Clark at Team GB
- Gillian Clark at the Commonwealth Games Federation (archived)