Adcocks have Rio in sight after golden day

The husband-and-wife pair made easy work of England team-mates Chris Langridge and Heather Olver as they cruised to gold in the Commonwealth Games mixed doubles.

The top seeds did not relinquish their grip after imposing themselves early at the Emirates Arena and cruised to a 21-9 21-12 victory.

The Adcocks, who married last year, have made considerable progress since reforming their on-court partnership after London 2012, at which Chris played alongside Scotland’s Imogen Bankier.

They won an elite-level Superseries tournament in Hong Kong last November and have risen to fifth in the world rankings.

They seem certain to spearhead Britain’s badminton push at Rio 2016 and are convinced their Glasgow win will prove hugely beneficial.

Leeds’s Gabby Adcock, 23, said: “Rio is still quite a while away, there is still a lot between now and then.

“But the confidence I have got from this week, the experience of playing in front of a big crowd in a big arena, will help to build a stronger character.

“I think we dealt with pressure situations very well. There is going to be pressure at Rio, so this adds to that. It’s all learning.

“It has been the toughest, both physically and mentally, two weeks of my life in my badminton career. It will definitely make me stronger as an athlete.”

In purely badminton terms, the World Championships in Denmark later this month are a greater prize but the hype and exposure surrounding the Commonwealths – for British players – is eclipsed only by the Olympics.

Gabby Adcock said: “This is what we dreamt of before coming here but to go and do it feels very surreal. It will take a while to sink in.

“It’s on a par with our Superseries win, but we feel so much pride for England.

“It’s great to bring this medal back for my country, it’s a different feeling and an overwhelming one. I feel proud, when I see the medal table, to know I have contributed.”

The Adcocks’ victory capped a superb tournament in which they were hardly troubled and did not drop a single game. The most points they conceded in any one game in their five matches was 17.

For Gabby Adcock the gold added to the bronze she won in the women’s doubles with Lauren Smith, while both she and Chris were part of the silver-winning England side in the team event.