Robert Blair (born 7 August 1981) is a Scottish badminton player.
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | Scotland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 7 August 1981 Edinburgh, Scotland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Handedness | Right | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mixed & men's doubles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest ranking | 6 (in XD) 4 (in MD) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| BWF profile | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Blair was born in Scotland, but after attending Loughborough University in Leicestershire, he competed for England from 2001 until 2010, except at the Olympic Games, where Scotland and England are both parts of the Great Britain and Northern Ireland team. His main motivation for changing nation was the prospect of medals at the Commonwealth Games.
On 16 December 2010 Badminton England and Badminton Scotland announced that Blair would be returning to Scotland.[1][2] The reason(s) for Blair's return to Scotland remain unclear, but reports suggest a falling-out with members of the Badminton England setup was central to the decision.[3][4][5]
Career edit
Blair competed in badminton at the 2004 Summer Olympics in mixed doubles with partner Natalie Munt. They defeated Tadashi Ohtsuka and Shizuka Yamamoto of Japan in the first round but lost to Nova Widianto and Vita Marissa of Indonesia in the round of 16.
Blair reached the men's doubles final at the 2006 IBF World Championships together with Anthony Clark, losing the final against Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng.
Achievements edit
World Championships edit
Men's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Palacio de Deportes de la Comunidad de Madrid, Madrid, Spain |  Anthony Clark
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 Cai Yun Fu Haifeng
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9–21, 13–21 |  Silver
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Commonwealth Games edit
Men's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Melbourne, Australia | Anthony Clark
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 Ashley Brehaut Travis Denney
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21–6, 21–14 |  Bronze
|
Mixed doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Emirates Arena, Glasgow, Scotland |  Imogen Bankier
|
 Chan Peng Soon Lai Pei Jing
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21–17, 21–11 | Bronze
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European Championships edit
Men's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Maaspoort, Den Bosch, Netherlands | Anthony Clark
|
 Mathias Boe Carsten Mogensen
|
17–21, 21–11, 18–21 | Bronze
|
BWF Grand Prix edit
The BWF Grand Prix had two levels, the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Gold. It was a series of badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) and played between 2007 and 2017. The World Badminton Grand Prix was sanctioned by the International Badminton Federation from 1983 to 2006.
Men's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Thessaloniki World Grand Prix | Anthony Clark
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 Michael Fuchs Roman Spitko
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15–6, 15–9 |  Winner
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| 2006 | German Open | Anthony Clark
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 Jung Jae-sung Lee Yong-dae
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11–15, 6–15 |  Runner-up
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| 2007 | Bitburger Open | David Lindley
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Mathias Boe Carsten Mogensen
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17–21, 15–21 | Runner-up
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Mixed doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Indonesia Open | Natalie Munt
|
Zhang Jun Gao Ling
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9–15, 9–15 | Runner-up
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| 2005 | Thessaloniki World Grand Prix | Natalie Munt
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Anthony Clark Donna Kellogg
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4–15, 15–6, 13–15 | Runner-up
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| 2006 | Swiss Open | Natalie Munt
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Nathan Robertson Gail Emms
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17–14, 7–15, 2–15 | Runner-up
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| 2006 | Dutch Open | Jenny Wallwork
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 Flandy Limpele Vita Marissa
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21–18, 21–18 | Winner
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| 2007 | Bitburger Open | Imogen Bankier
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Kristof Hopp Birgit Overzier
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17–21, 17–21 | Runner-up
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| 2010 | German Open | Imogen Bankier
|
 Yohan Hadikusumo Wiratama Tse Ying Suet
|
5–15 retired | Runner-up
|
| 2011 | German Open | Gabrielle White
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 Shintaro Ikeda Reiko Shiota
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16–21, 21–16, 21–15 | Winner
|
| 2013 | Scottish Open | Imogen Bankier
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Chris Langridge Heather Olver
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21–16, 21–14 | Winner
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| 2014 | German Open | Imogen Bankier
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Ko Sung-hyun Kim Ha-na
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21–15, 21–18 | Winner
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| 2014 | Scottish Open | Imogen Bankier
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Niclas Nøhr Sara Thygesen
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21–18, 21–14 | Winner
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- BWF Grand Prix Gold tournament
- BWF & IBF Grand Prix tournament
BWF International Challenge/Series edit
Men's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | New Zealand International | Russell Hogg
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 John Gordon Daniel Shirley
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16–17, 7–15 | Runner-up
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| 2000 | Irish International | Russell Hogg
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Alastair Gatt Craig Robertson
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15–12, 12–15, 5–15 | Runner-up
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| 2001 | Irish International | Stephen Foster
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 Mike Beres Kyle Hunter
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7–3, 7–3, 6–8, 8–7 | Winner
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| 2002 | Austrian International | James Anderson
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Peter Jeffrey Ian Palethorpe
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7–2, 7–3, 7–5 | Winner
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| 2002 | Irish International | Ian Palethorpe
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Peter Jeffrey Julian Robertson
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15–5, 14–17, 15–9 | Winner
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| 2004 | Portugal International | Simon Archer
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Liu Kwok Wa Albertus Susanto Njoto
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15–9, 12–15, 15–7 | Winner
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| 2007 | Scottish International | David Lindley
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 Vitalij Durkin Aleksandr Nikolaenko
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21–18, 21–12 | Winner
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| 2012 | Bulgarian International | Tan Bin Shen
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Andreas Heinz Max Schwenger
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18–21, 25–23, 21–18 | Winner
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| 2012 | Turkey International | Tan Bin Shen
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 Magnus Sahlberg Mattias Wigardt
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21–11, 21–15 | Winner
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Mixed doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Bulgarian International | Natalie Munt
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Paul Trueman Liza Parker
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4–7, 4–7, 7–2, –, – | Winner
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| 2001 | Scottish International | Natalie Munt
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William Milroy Denyse Julien
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8–6, 7–1, 8–6 | Winner
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| 2001 | Irish International | Natalie Munt
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Bo Rafn Helle Nielsen
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7–4, 3–7, 7–1, 7–5 | Winner
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| 2002 | Scottish International | Natalie Munt
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Nikolai Zuyev Marina Yakusheva
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6–11, 13–12, 11–9 | Winner
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| 2003 | Spanish International | Natalie Munt
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Jörgen Olsson Frida Andreasson
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17–16, 15–10 | Winner
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| 2007 | Scottish International | Imogen Bankier
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Aleksandr Nikolaenko Nina Vislova
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15–21, 22–20, 21–9 | Winner
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| 2013 | French International | Imogen Bankier
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Marcus Ellis Alyssa Lim
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21–17, 21–17 | Winner
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| 2013 | Kharkiv International | Imogen Bankier
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Kim Astrup Maria Helsbøl
|
20–22, 21–9, 21–18 | Winner
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| 2013 | Bulgarian International | Imogen Bankier
|
 Robert Mateusiak Agnieszka Wojtkowska
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21–17, 21–15 | Winner
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| 2013 | Irish Open | Imogen Bankier
|
 Jacco Arends Selena Piek
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21–9, 19–21, 13–21 | Runner-up
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| 2014 | Swedish Masters | Imogen Bankier
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Peter Käsbauer Isabel Herttrich
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24–22, 14–21, 21–16 | Winner
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| 2014 | Orleans International | Imogen Bankier
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Niclas Nøhr Sara Thygesen
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21–13, 19–21, 21–18 | Winner
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| 2014 | Spanish Open | Imogen Bankier
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Robert Mateusiak Agnieszka Wojtkowska
|
21–13, 14–21, 21–16 | Winner
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| 2015 | Swiss International | Pia Zebadiah Bernadet
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 Bodin Isara Savitree Amitrapai
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18–21, 25–23, 21–18 | Winner
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- BWF International Challenge tournament
- BWF International Series/ European Circuit tournament
Record against selected opponents edit
Mixed Doubles results with Gabrielle White against Super Series finalists, World Championships semifinalists, and Olympic quarterfinalists.[6]
Tao Jiaming & Tian Qing 0–1- Xu Chen & Ma Jin 0–3
- Zhang Nan & Zhao Yunlei 0–1
Chen Hung-ling & Cheng Wen-hsing 0–1
Joachim Fischer Nielsen & Christinna Pedersen 0–1- Thomas Laybourn & Kamilla Rytter Juhl 0–1
Chris Adcock & Imogen Bankier 1–1
Tontowi Ahmad & Liliyana Natsir 0–2
Yoo Yeon-seong & Jang Ye-na 0–1- Ko Sung-hyun & Yoo Yeon-seong 2–1
Robert Mateusiak & Nadieżda Zięba 0–1
Songphon Anugritayawon & Kunchala Voravichitchaikul 2–1- Sudket Prapakamol & Saralee Thungthongkam 1–2
References edit
- ^ "Blair returns to Scotland". badmintonengland.co.uk. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011.
- ^ Robert Returns to Scotland
- ^ Blair returns home after fall-out with England
- ^ "Badminton: Defector Robert Blair quits England and returns to Scotland". The Scotsman.
- ^ There may be more to Blair's return to Scotland to train than meets the eye
- ^ "tournamentsoftware.com". tournamentsoftware.com.
External links edit
- Robert Blair at BWF.tournamentsoftware.com
- Robert Blair at BWFbadminton.com
- Robert Blair at Olympedia
- Robert Blair at Olympics.com
- Robert Blair at Team GB
- Robert Blair at the Commonwealth Games Federation (archived)
- Robert Blair at the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games (archived)
- Robert Blair at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games (archived)
