OLYMPICS LONDON 2012: Team GB badminton mixed doubles pair crash out to Germany

By Sean-Paul Doran, Sportsbeat, London 2012

CHRIS Adcock expressed his devastation after his Olympic dream ended as Great Britain’s badminton mixed doubles crashed out of London 2012 following defeat to Germany.

PASSIONATE WIN: German pair Michael Fuchs and Birgit Michels celebrate after dumping Great Britain out of badminton mixed doubles

Adcock and teammate Imogen Bankier fell to their second consecutive group stage loss as Germany’s Michael Fuchs and Birgit Michels secured the victory by two sets to one.

The British pair, who won world silver last year, secured the first set 21-11 before the Germans took control as the final sets finished 17-21, 14-21 at Wembley Arena.

“We got a good start again but absolutely gutted; really disappointed,” said the 23-year-old after he and Bankier squandered a one-set lead for the second game in a row to end their Olympic dream.

“We did everything we could today. But that's the Olympic Games; it can be tough.”

Yesterday’s surprise defeat to Russian pair Alexandr Nikolaenko and Valeria Sorokina meant the Brits needed a win against the Germans as number one seeds China lie in wait in the final game of Group A.

London 2012 is the first time the badminton competition has followed the format of group and knockout stages but the British pair now cannot feature in the latter rounds.

And Adcock cut a forlorn figure at the scene of his 2011 world silver after defeat made the Chinese test a formality.

“I’m devastated. Obviously we lost winnable games and we worked so hard to get here," he added.

“We've got one more game and we want to repay the crowd who have supported us with a win."

Despite Team GB’s bright start, the Germans rallied to secure the second set before a relatively comfortable third set sparked scenes of celebration for Fuchs and Michels.

And Bankier echoed her teammate’s frustration at failing to perform at their best in the pair’s first Olympic Games.

“We wanted to do our best. We lost two games which we saw as winnable,” said the 24-year-old.

“We came here with high hopes and we put the pressure on ourselves.

“We came into the tournament in the best shape of our lives but we faced two difficult opponents.”

© Sportsbeat 2012