London: Just two months before the Tokyo Olympics, the two-time Commonwealth and European mixed doubles champions, Chris & Gabby Adcock have announced their retirement from badminton.
The Adcocks are currently ranked World No. 14 in the BWF world rankings, they won the Commonwealth gold in 2014 and 2018, and the European titles in 2017 and 2018.
Gabby joined the England national team in 2006 and won the world junior mixed doubles silver medal, with Chris in 2007, in Waitakere City, New Zealand. They lost to Lim Khim Wah/Ng Hui Lin of Malaysia in the final.
Both Chris and Gabby lifted the England team to the bronze medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games mixed team event which was held in Delhi.
Their breakthrough came in 2013 when they defeated the London Olympics gold medalists – Zhang Nan/Zhao Yunlei of China 21-12, 21-16 in the semi-final of Hong Kong Open and then outlasted Liu Cheng/Bao Yixin of China 21-14, 24-22 in the final to win their first SuperSeries title.
The pair helped the England team to win the team silver in the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, and they also clinched the mixed doubles gold in the individual event.
In 2015, they became the first English pair to ever win the BWF World Tour Finals that was held in Dubai.
The pair was impressive when they returned to Glasgow again in 2017 and won the World Championships bronze medal. They also claimed their first European Championships gold in 2017 in Kolding, Denmark.
Chris and Gabby repeated the feat in 2018 at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and the European badminton championships in Huelva, Spain, retaining gold in both tournaments.
Their last competition was at the 2021 European Mixed Team Championships qualifiers in December 2020, where they beat Raul Kasner/Kristin Kuuba of Estonia to help England seal the Group 1 qualification tie against Estonia with an overall score of 4-1.
The 30-year-old Gabby Adcock was then infected by COVID-19 and the pair has to pull out of the All England that was held in March, 2021.
Gabby Adcock told Badminton England that she was excited about her new adventure and expressed her gratitude towards everyone who has supported her in her career.
“What an unreal journey the past 15 years have been! I feel incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to be able to do what I love for so long.”
“I’m extremely proud of what we have achieved, and the life lessons badminton has taught me along the way.”
“Finally, I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone that has supported me throughout my career. It means a lot and never went unnoticed.”
“I am super excited for the next adventure and will always keep a keen eye on the sport I will forever love,” said Gabby Adcock to Badminton England.
Chris Adcock also told Badminton England that he was blessed for being able to do many things through badminton.
“I’ve always felt extremely privileged to be able to do something I love for my job & I leave the sport knowing that I did everything I could to make the most of this opportunity.”
“Badminton has given both Gabby & myself so much. We have so many amazing memories, experienced some unbelievable experiences & met so many incredible people along the way. All this while travelling the world together.”
“Of course, being an athlete isn’t always easy and I want to thank the people who have always been there supporting me, not just in my successes but throughout my whole career. My family have always been unbelievable and made it possible for me to achieve what I have,” said Chris Adcock to Badminton England.
