90 SECONDS WITH... ALEX LANE
Age: 16
Lives: Devon
Ultimate aim: To go to the 2014 Commonwealth Games and Rio 2016
In November last year Alex became one of only five English players to have won a Junior European Singles title. He then went on to continue his run of success when he became triple U17 National Champion in March this year, claiming the title in all three badminton disciplines. You’ll see him with regular Doubles partners Chloe Birch and Sam Parsons. Make a mental note of the name because we think it is one that you might be hearing more of in the near future! BADMINTON England caught up with Alex to get the full story of his recent successes and to ask about his hopes for the future.
So Alex, it’s been an incredible year for you in terms of badminton achievements! What’s been your most memorable moment?
Winning the European title was definitely my most memorable sporting moment of the past year. It was the first big title I’d won so it felt really good. Months of training, including my whole summer had been geared towards competing at the European Championships. It feels great to win after you’ve worked so hard for something.
You then went on to win triple-gold at the U17 English National Championships not long after. How do you plan to carry on that momentum into next season?
I’m working hard on my fitness and development goals at the moment to prepare for next season. The Olympics really motivated me and I hope to continue developing my game as the year goes on.
Your younger brother, Ben is also a talented badminton player and you often have to compete against each other, what is the level of support vs competition like between you?
We’re both very competitive in everything we do, including when we play against one another. However when we’re not competing we’re always very supportive and often coach each other in the tournament breaks.
Looking forwards then, what’s coming up for you this year?
Hopefully I’ll be selected for the U19 World Championships. It would be a great experience to play against the best juniors in the world.
Finally, if you could pair up 2 celebrities to play doubles against you, which celebrities would you choose and why?
Lin Dan and Lee Chong Wei. I love watching them play it would be amazing to be on the same court as them.
