On behalf of everyone at Badminton England, we would like to place on record our sincere thanks to Mixed Doubles pair Lauren Smith and Marcus Ellis who have today announced their decision to step away from the elite programme.
Both individually and as a pair, Lauren and Marcus have represented England and Great Britain with commitment, pride and positivity and we would like to wish them both the very best of luck in the next chapter of their careers.
35-year-old Ellis moved away from his hometown, Huddersfield, at the age of 17 – relocating to Milton Keynes to dedicate himself to the Badminton England programme at the National Badminton Centre. He won his first title in 2009 with Heather Olver at the Belgium International.
Most notably Marcus won an historic bronze at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games with partner Chris Langridge – their medal was the first men’s doubles Olympic medal for Team GB. He and Chris went on to win Commonwealth Games and European Games Gold.
Cumbrian Lauren won her first international title in 2010, while at university, and joined the National Squad in Milton Keynes two years later. She went on to play at two Olympic Games, winning multiple Commonwealth Games and European medals.
Together, Marcus and Lauren reached a career-high world ranking of 7, claimed the European Games Gold in Minsk 2019, won five World Tour titles and reached the semi-finals of the Yonex All England on two occasions.
After a last eight finish in Tokyo, qualification for this summer’s Olympic Games proved just beyond Lauren and Marcus this year. However, the pair have left a lasting legacy which we have no doubt will serve to inspire those at the start of their journey with Badminton England.
Head of Performance at Badminton England, Mark Beecher, said: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank both Lauren and Marcus for all their incredible commitment to the programme, their unending dedication to developing their game and the bar they have set for others who have watched them play, trained alongside them or competed against them during more than a decade with Badminton England. They have competed at the very highest level in our sport and we are proud of all they have achieved.”
Good luck for the future Lauren and Marcus!
