• World Badminton Championships

Clark targets World Championships spark

Anthony Clark has big-game experience, having won Commenwealth silver with Nathan Robertson in 2010 © Getty Images

Enlarge

The World Badminton Championships are looming large on the horizon and it is an event Anthony Clark is well accustomed to. But it also a new experience for one of England's most capped players.

Clark and Nathan Robertson have cut down on their schedules, with the latter focusing on mixed doubles with his partner Jenny Wallwork. That left Clark on the hunt for a new men's doubles partner and Chris Langridge stepped up to the mark. It is a blend of youth, Langridge being 26, and experience, with Clark now 33.

Recent results have been encouraging, most notably helping England to the European Team Championships semi-finals in Amsterdam in February, but they were reliant on a wildcard for the World Championships at Wembley Arena as they sit outside the world's top 50. As such Clark and Langridge will not enter the event as one of the favourites, but Clark feels that local support could prove an inspiration for the England team.

"The World Championships this year being in England, is a massive boost for us," Clark told ESPN. "In most sports when the World Championships come to your country, it gives you a big lift and can inspire your performance and as English players we are looking forward to it.

"It is at Wembley, we have not held a tournament there for quite a long time, and being in the capital it will be a bit more special and it is going to be the venue for the Olympics as well. It is going to be a very exciting event, we are hoping to get big crowds. That can only help, as the more people that support you can lift you even more. I am massively looking forward to it.

"The World Championships are the sort of events that can allow us to pick up more lottery funding and all those kind of things. There is a massive incentive all around to do well. Everybody is excited about it."

Clark is going into the event more in hope than expectation, but he has a determination to succeed that could carry him and Langridge a long way.

The two-time World Championship silver medalist said: "Every tournament you ever go to, you want to medal and get to the semi-finals and beyond. If not, then you are not looking at it in the right frame of mind. You don't want to be an also-ran. You want to be challenging the best, we've had some good performances against some world-class players to show we can compete with and beat the best.

"It is a fine line between winning and losing against the top guys in the world. With the home crowd and the positive vibe, there is no reason why we can't topple the big ones and go for a medal."

London 2012 is the next major event following the World Championships and Clark knows it will be his last chance to represent his country at an Olympics. Qualification is far from assured, with the structure meaning a number of top-class players could miss out. It is a qualification policy that Clark does not agree with, but he still feels Langridge and himself have a live chance of securing a place in the team.

He said: "It [World Championships] is a stepping stone, we can pick up big ranking points at the World Championships and it is a positive aim to qualify for the Olympics and doing well at the World Championships will put you in a positive place for qualification.

"Doing well in the worlds is a positive towards the bigger picture which is the Olympics in London - which to all British people is the ultimate goal."

Clark already has an eye on life after he calls time on his career. He is in no doubt that he wants to contribute as a coach. He has been described by Olympic silver medallist Gail Emms "as the ideal person to be a coach" but he is aware that proving himself to Badminton England chiefs will be far from easy.

"It is very nice of somebody like Gail to say that," Clark said. "I have worked with Gail for many years and something I have always done is give advice to other players. I have given advice in the past to Gail and vice versa and this is someone who has won Olympic medals. There was always that element of helping each other, the same with Nathan and Donna [Kellogg], we were always trying to give each other advice.

"I am quite a technical and tactical player and I probably see technical and tactical things different to others because that is the way I play. I am not a 6ft 4in, incredibly athletic guy. I am a lot smaller and have more skill, and having that has given me the ability to see things in others. It is something I very much want to use as I can watch players on court and see what they are doing wrong. That is where I want to go, I see it as my future, and I feel it would be a shame to have to walk away from the game as I do not want to. Going into coaching within the England setup is definitely something I would like to do.

"I believe I have more experience than 99 per cent of most coaches and players. I have been there and done it and it is difficult to be a coach without experiencing those mental barriers you face as a player. I always see it in others, I have never been a selfish player and have always tried to offer advice.

"A lot of it is proving how good you are as a coach. I have been playing for 15 years and have over 100 caps for England, so my playing career shows the experience. I need to and would like to prove I have the ability as a coach as well. We will see where it goes from here, but I want to stay in the sport."

The Yonex World Badminton Championships take place at Wembley Arena from August 8-14. Tickets can be bought at www.badminton2011.co.uk

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.