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| Human Interest | |
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Further Personal Information | |
| Residence | Mansfield, ENG |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Club / Team | University of Nottingham: Nottingham, ENG |
General Interest | |
| Memorable sporting achievement | Winning a silver medal at the 2011 World Championships in London, England with partner Imogen Bankier, winning gold at the 2013 Hong Kong Superseries and winning gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, both with partner Gabby Adcock. (bwfbadminton.org, 31 May 2016) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Why this sport? | His grandfather used to play and then his older brothers started playing at a local club and he joined them. |
General Interest | |
| Hero / Idol | British rower Steve Redgrave. (England CWG Handbook Guide, 2010) |
| Ambitions | To win a gold medal with his mixed doubles partner Gabby Adcock at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (bbc.co.uk, 15 Apr 2014) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Name of coach | Jakob Hoi [national], DEN; Pete Jeffrey [national]; GBR; Martyn Lewis [club], GBR |
| Handedness | Left |
| Training Regime | He trains at the National Badminton Centre in Milton Keynes, England. |
| When and where did you begin this sport? | He took up badminton at age four. |
International Debut | |
| Year | 2007 |
| Competing for | England |
| Location | Netherlands |
Further Personal Information | |
| Occupation | Athlete |
General Interest | |
| Other information | NATIONAL FIRST He and his partner Gabby Adcock became the first Britons to win a World Superseries title, winning the mixed doubles at the 2015 World Superseries Finals in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The pair also became the first husband and wife duo to achieve Commonwealth mixed doubles gold, winning at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland. (bbc.co.uk, 24 Dec 2015; telegraph.co.uk, 03 Aug 2014) HUSBAND AND WIFE TEAM He and his wife Gabby are mixed doubles partners and believe teaming up makes them better as a marriage and as a badminton team, despite questions by some people about how it could negatively affect their marriage. “People say that to us all the time [about it negatively affecting their marriage] but the fact is we were in a partnership on court long before we were in one off court, so we're well used to it. There's rarely any blame. We know we're both trying hard enough," Chris said. Wife Gabby agreed. "It would feel unusual not to play with each other. We know what to say, more importantly we know what not to say." (telegraph.co.uk, 02 Jan 2016) TATTOOS He enjoys adorning his body with tattoos, including one of his wedding date to Gabby Adcock [a tattoo she shares]. He also has one of a half-sleeve on his left arm, complete with lion, roses and Commonwealth Games medal. He failed to tell his mother of the sleeve and she contacted him after she saw the tattoo for the first time on television. "I got a text from mum saying 'Christopher'. That is when I know I am in trouble. 'What is that on your arm. I hope you're stopping there'." (bbc.co.uk, 24 Dec 2015) PARTNER SWITCH He began playing with mixed doubles partner Gabby White as a junior at age 15, but in 2011 he switched playing partners to Imogen Bankier of Scotland. Adcock and Bankier qualified for the 2012 Olympic Games in London, while White missed out. Adcock and White teamed up again after the 2012 Olympic Games. In September 2013 he married White, who now plays as Gabby Adcock. (dailymail.co.uk, 07 Mar 2012; insidethegames.biz, 05 Feb 2014; Twitter profile 17 Jun 2014) |
| Hobbies | Supporting English football club Chelsea, spending time with his wife, walking his dog Bowser, going out for meals. (Twitter profile, 11 Apr 2014; badmintonengland.co.uk, 2016) |
| Injuries | He withdrew from his mixed doubles quarterfinal at the 2015 World Championships in Jakarta, Indonesia due to illness. (sportinglife.com, 14 Aug 2015) He broke his leg playing badminton in his mid-teenage years. (bbc.co.uk, 24 Dec 2015) |
| Famous relatives | His wife Gabby Adcock is his badminton mixed doubles partner. (leicestermercury.co.uk, 14 Mar 2016) |
| Most influential person in career | His family. "They sacrificed so much for my badminton career." (bwfbadminton.org, 31 May 2016) |
| Awards and honours | He was named Player of the Year at the 2014 National Badminton Awards. (wysport.co.uk, 05 Mar 2014) |
Further Personal Information | |
| Languages | English |
General Interest | |
| Nicknames | Chris (bbc.co.uk, 15 Apr 2014) |
Further Personal Information | |
| Family | Wife Gabby [2013] |