JENNY Wallwork admitted nerves got the better of her as she suffered Commonwealth Games disappointment for the second time in 24 hours.
Wallwork and partner Nathan Robertson were hot favourites going into the mixed doubles badminton final in Delhi.
But they were beaten by Malaysia’s Kien Keat Koo and Ee Hui Chin after an offcolour performance.
Wallwork had inspired a stirring fightback in the opening game but committed a silly error when serving to take an early advantage, a mistake which the Malaysians pounced on to win 22-20, 21-12.
It left the 23-year old, who won European bronze with Robertson earlier this year, feeling low, especially after her defeat in the women’s doubles bronze match with Gabby White.
“I just tensed up a little bit,” she admitted.
“They aren’t really an established pair but I don’t think I’ve ever seen them play that well.
“We just couldn’t keep up the pace with them after we so narrowly lost the first game.
“I was so disappointed after the women’s doubles but I was really focused and it was out of my head because there was that gold at stake.
“There wasn’t pressure, there was just excitement. It was still great to reach the final because we’ve not been playing together for that long.”
Four years ago Robertson won the Commonwealth title with former partner Gail Emms, two years after they won Olympic silver in Athens.
Wallwork knows she will always live in the shadow of the bubbly Emms, whose close relationship with Robertson bordered on the telepathic at the height of their success.
But she insists a solid season, which has seen her win two national titles and make two major championship podiums shows things are going in the right direction in the build-up to London 2012.
“Hopefully we can really go for it in the next couple of years,” she added. “Nathan might be the wrong side of 30 but he’s a very unique player and he’s got two more years in him and having that gold medal in his head will keep him going.
“Gail was a fantastic player and has done so much for the sport. But we are now establishing ourselves as a pair to be reckoned with, and, hopefully, people will start to look at us how they looked at Nathan and Gail.”
● SPAR, there for you and our GB athletes, proud supporters since 2004 www.spar.co.uk.
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