Another episode of BEC Podcast is out.

Disclaimer: This podcast was recorded prior to the season ending injury of Emilie Lefel!

This week the French women’s doubles, Emilie Lefel and Anne Tran, are in the studio with Rasmus Bech from Badminton Europe. The interesting topics the three will touch on are the situation for Emilie Lefel after Tokyo 2020, the European Women’s Team Championships in France and the situation for French badminton. 

European Championships

The European Team Championships (ETC) for both men and women will be held in Liévin, France in February and this will be one of the last chances for the ladies to play in front of their home crowd. 

- With the new women’s singles we are stronger than in Kazan, and we might have a chance against a country like Denmark, Tran said. 

The individual European Championships will take place only a couple of months after the ETC and this will be a chance for the doubles pair to take another medal as they did back in 2018 in Huelva, Spain. When Rasmus Bech asked if a medal would be a possibility, they answered yes fast. 

- If we get a medal it will not be a surprise, more like we achieved our goal, Tran said. 

The future

With the Olympic Games in Tokyo in only 8 months, this was of course a topic that needed to be talked about. Lefel, who is 31 years old, and Tran, who is the younger one in the pair being only 23 years old, is the highest ranked French women’s doubles pair at the moment and might be the pair who goes to Tokyo, if they qualify. 

- I think I will retire after the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020, Lefel said. 

With this quote the women’s double also indicate that Paris 2024 might not be an option. 

Click here to listen to the podcast with Emilie Lefel and Anne Tran.