Paris 2024: Sean Vendy heads to Olympic Games with fresh sense of perspective as new challenge of fatherhood looms
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Published 14/06/2024 at 17:48 GMT
Sean Vendy and team-mate Ben Lane are hoping for more silverware at Paris 2024 after scooping European bronze in the men's doubles in April. But Vendy has another challenge on the horizon, as he found out in March that he and his partner Shannon were expecting their first child. The happy news has given the 28-year-old a timely reminder that "there are bigger things than badminton."
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Sean Vendy is heading to his second Olympics with a fresh sense of perspective.
One half of a long-standing men's doubles pairing alongside Ben Lane, the Orkney-born 28-year-old found out in March that his partner Shannon was expecting their first child.
He told Lane on the day they flew to the Swiss Open and they went on to win the competition, the highest-profile trophy the British duo have lifted.
That triumph has reinforced their belief they can mix it with the world's best in Paris but Vendy will cross the Channel knowing the outcome is not the be-all and end-all.
"It [fatherhood] definitely sits in the back of my head at all times," said Vendy. "When things are getting really tough in training and I'm thinking 'I don't have a lot left here', you remind yourself that you're not just doing it for yourself anymore, you're doing it for someone else.
"It does change your mindset and your perspective. This isn't everything anymore, I have something else on the horizon which is one of the biggest things you can do in life."
Lane is ready to play the role of honorary uncle to Vendy's new arrival come November but only after the pair have taken the next on-court step on a journey which started when they joined forces aged 12.
"I don't know what it's like to have kids myself but when you're in sport, it can be quite selfish sometimes and you are always trying to do better for yourself or a partnership," Lane said.
"When something like that comes along, it just reminds you there are bigger things than badminton."
Lane and Vendy are part of Britain's smallest Olympic badminton squad, with Kirsty Gilmour completing the trio who will take to the court this summer.
Preparations for their big-stage bow in Tokyo were hampered by selection controversy, with higher-ranked men's doubles pair Marcus Ellis and Chris Langridge missing out following bronze in Rio - a decision which led Langridge to say they had been treated "like dirt".
The path to Paris has been smoother and Vendy feels they will be stronger for it when competition begins on July 27.
"It was a bit different last time as we weren't expected to go," he said.
"We took a massive step in the year between 2020 and 2021 and if the Games hadn't been postponed, we'd have had no chance.
"Did it affect our prep? Maybe slightly. It's difficult to say it didn't, just because of everything around it and the atmosphere in the team."
Lane added: "We try to stay out of whatever else is going on, we're on the court to perform.
"But it was a great learning experience, not just in badminton but for life beyond badminton, dealing with everything. It only makes us stronger now."
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The duo know they will have to beat a seeded pair to progress out of the group stage for the first time but have no fear and believe the backing of those closest to them can inspire a summer to savour.
"You grow up watching the Olympics and Tokyo was very different to what I'd heard an Olympics was like, with masks and tests every day," Lane said.
"I know friends and family are coming over to Paris, which is amazing, and we want the proper Olympic experience before, during and after. That's what I'm really looking forward to."
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The Olympic Games will return with Paris 2024, live on Eurosport and discovery+.
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