Cann is UK National champion - for the third time

Elizabeth says (on 24 Feb):

I left for Malaysia on 3rd January. I went there for 1 week of training followed by a tournament, the Malaysian Open. I was quite excited to go as I hadn't been to the far east for a couple of years.

In my 1st week there I trained at their national training center every morning for about 2 1/2hrs. It was really hard going during this week, mainly due to the heat. It was about 28/29 degrees centigrade everyday and very humid with it. This kind of heat is very draining at 1st and makes the exercises which I normally find easy actually feel quite difficult, although it did get better as the week went on.

I did a combination of on-court and off-court training with a variation of training with the Malaysian girls, the Russian girls and the English mens singles players. This was a good mix of opposition for me to train with as its good to train against girls who are different to the ones I normally train with at home as I get to practice against players with different styles.

At lunch times I usually went back for a nap. I had all these great ideas about sitting out by the pool, but to be honest enough was enough with the heat by then. Air con is a wonderful thing at times!!

We stayed in an area called Puket Tunku. Apparently this area is still considered jungle!! It was quite amusing to see wild monkeys wondering around. We would see them sitting on top of the fences as we drove by, and if it's really hot they would sometimes sit by the swimming pool and dip their heads in to drink the water.

Aside from training we did find a little time to do some site-seeing, shopping and tenpin bowling. I did manage to pick up a few bargains too!!!;)

After the 1st week it was time to move into the official tournament hotel. I was glad it was finally time to play the tournament. However, I was a bit disappointed at losing my 2nd match as I didn't perform my best. I had to get straight back to training to prepare for my next tournament in Korea the following week (The Korean open). When it was time to fly to Korea I was ready for a change in climate. We were going from one extreme to the next though as it was snowing when we landed in Seoul!!

We started the tournament a couple of days after arriving and this time I played well and beat one of the top Japanese players. This was a good win and took my world ranking from 38 to 30.

All in all it was a good trip and i learned a lot from it. The week after getting back home we had our UK National Championships. It was pretty tiring going to play another tournament so close to such a long journey home but it proved successful for me as I managed to retain my title as National Champion once again. I was very happy with this. Job done for the weekend!:)

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March 2008

In the Jury’s Inn Hotel in Birmingham, Elizabeth is beginning to focus in on her upcoming matches in the Yonex All England Open Super Series at the city’s NIA, one of a series of badminton Grand Prix events that makes whistle-stop tours around the world. It also happens to be one of the highest-ranked tournaments in the sport, and doing well here would propel Elizabeth further up the world rankings. Standing in her way, however, is the daunting Chinese player Yanjiao Jiang, and the two are due to meet at 7.50 this evening (Wednesday 5th).

I spoke to her briefly on the phone as she relaxed in her room and she gave me a quick glimpse into her pre-event preparations.

“I do tend to get butterflies and such before big events, but I’d be more worried if I didn’t get nervous,” she laughs. “I’ll head down to the restaurant and grab a light pre-competition meal of pasta round about lunchtime. In between that and my match, I consume energy snack bars and drinks to keep my levels up. Pre-match preparation is so important, not just in badminton but in every sport and I tend to do what has worked or me in the past.”

Elizabeth has a busy season ahead, with more Open events before she has the European Championships in Denmark next month. Then later in the year is the Big One, the Beijing Olympics, and it is this that she is peaking for. Her coach and mentor Dalton is no stranger to peaking for championships, and his regime seems to be working well for her.

“I’ve been with Dalton for 5 years now, and it’s made a massive difference to my whole approach to not only badminton but to my training. He’s got me extremely fit and I can handle just about anything in a match and it’s also got my confidence at sky-high levels.”

So, I ask her, how does she relax as she waits around in various hotel rooms?
“I go through a stretching regime and watch my collection of films on my portable DVD player- right now I’m watching Ocean’s 13 and The Brave One staring Jodie Foster. I also get my mind around what I have to do on the court, a kind of mental rehearsal.”

As the room phone rings, I wish her luck just before she answers it, and we agree to continue after her match. . . .

Part 2.

The morning after the night before. Elizabeth was eliminated from the tournament by Yanjiao Jiang, one of a whole raft of badminton players this year's Olympic host country seems able to churn out on a conveyor belt. Even though Jiang is a form idable opponent for most of the girls on the tour, she is still perhaps only the 6th or 7th ranked player in her country, meaning that she is unlikely to make the final cut for Beijing, such is the astronomically high standard in China.

So, how does she feel that it went?

"The first match I lost 21-16, although it was closer than the scoreline suggested. When you play someone from China, they are trained to trick the opponent into going for the obvious, then switching at the last possible second. From that respect, I learned a lot and I'd even got as far as saying that I enjoyed the game. Jiang was a very difficult opponent - one of the best I've come up against, and even though she's ranked juts inside the world's top 25, she's had more than her fair share of injuries which have held back her ranking. She should be actually ranked higher than what she is."

For the next week or so, Elizabeth will be stepping up her training schedule in preparation for the several competitions she has penciled in as she begins her countdown to the qualifying matches that will see her on the plane to Beijing.

Incidentally, Tine Rasmussen of Denmark won the tournament, defeating the third seed Lu Lan of China 21-11, 18-21 and a nail-biting 20-22 in the final set.

In recent years Lene Koppen,Kirsten Larsen and Martin have lifted the trophy - and Rasmussen was proud to join them.

"The All England is the most prestigious tournament except for the world and Olympic titles, and now my focus is on the Olympics and hopefully I can stay in the seedings up to Beijing."

She admitted it had been a nervy affair. She had led 10-3 and 11-6 in the third game before trailing 13-15. But she finally got control of her nerves and clung on to win.

The triumph was her third Super Series victory in six months after Japan and Malaysia and she is coming into form nicely, with her sights firmly trained on Beijing.

China continued their domination of the men's singles but not through expected winner Lin Dan. Appearing in his fifth consecutive final he went down to team-mate and fourth seed Chen Jin 22-20 25-23 after being clearly hampered by a knee injury.

The finish was muted but Chen Jin later admitted that it was out of respect for his injured team-mate who had won all six of their previous meetings.

Nova Widianto and Liliyana Natsir, who defeated Nathan Roberts and GAil Emms in the semi finals, failed in their bid to win a first All England title.

The two-time world champions lost to the Chinese defending champions Zheng Bo and Gao Ling, further illustrating the ongoing global appeal of the All England tournament and the fact that the best in the world saw it as an essential part of thei Beijing preparations.

"I will take a lot from this," continues Elizabeth. "I'm now an established international and this is the level that I now regularly compete at."

Her next major competition will be the European Championships in Denmark next month, and we'll be covering her right through that event and beyond in Olympic year here at graphic-links.com.

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March 15th

I caught up with Elizabeth last night in between her jet-setting jaunts as she attempts to grab as many points as she can in order to take her up the world rankings. What’s the meaning of that, I ask her.

‘Basically, only the top 16 in the world are guaranteed to be invited to the Beijing Olympics,’ she told me in between laughing at some of my awful jokes. At last, I’ve found someone, apart from myself, who thinks my jokes are funny.

‘Anyway, I’m 30th right now so it’s just a question of slowly working away and pulling myself up the rankings and close in on a qualification place. I was in Switzerland for a couple of days this week and I’ve now got a week here back in Britain before I head over to Germany for my club, BC Beuel, who are the leaders of the German Budesliga. We’re based in Bonn and each European team is allowed a set number of foreign players and we play a series of matches against the teams in the league and tally up the points, wins and losses, points for and against, etc. It’s quite exciting and it happens to be my fourth foreign club.’

Elizabeth explains that she was a member of another German club in Munich, a French club and a Danish one as well- all in 6 years.
‘I’ve been joining better and better clubs along the way and I’m very happy now with BC Beuel. We’re top of the Bundesliga, we’re winning lots of matches and the level of competition is ideal for me.’

She heads out to Germany on Friday, which also coincidentally happens to be her birthday. I ask her old she will be, but, like any other woman, she doesn’t reveal her age. I tell her that my dad seems to think they went to school together- she was probably in the years above him- and she laughs out loud again.

‘I’ll be having a quiet meal with a few friends and family to celebrate my birthday early before I head over to Bonn,’ she explains, although I get the feeling that it may have to be a pretty big cake to accommodate all the candles she’ll need!

So what else is planned for the forthcoming weeks then?

‘What else- training and competing! I’m focussed on my rankings and things are going well, actually. Yes, the All England was mildly disappointing but I’m facing Chinese players all the time now, and I’m being pulled up to their level every time we meet. I’m confident about the way things are going, and my court coach Yvette Yu Lao is also pleased.’

Elizabeth has a sports-based coach in Yvette and a general strength and conditioning coach in Dalton, and if truth be told this is the way most world-class athletes are approaching their chosen disciplines now. However, Dalton is ultra-competitive and has been known in the past to take on his athletes in the training gym or on the field.

‘When I first joined him, I was just outside the world’s Top 50, and he genuinely believed that he could beat me in a game of badminton,’ she says incredulously. ‘I told him there was no way, even though he was adamant. And he still thinks he can beat me now, even though I’ve trained with him for five years and I’m fitter and stronger than I was then.’
And he’s five years older, I point out.
‘Exactly! If he did beat me, I’d retire from the sport on the spot,’ she laughs again.
But her approach to cross-training, and using athletics as her foundation, is catching on across all sports. It seems that Elizabeth is now an unintentional trailblazer, I tell her.
‘Who? Me?’
‘Yes, you!’

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with Solomon Wariso

Name: Elizabeth Cann

Place and D.O.B: Surrey, 21st March

Sport: Badminton

Coach: Dalton Grant

Height: 5 feet 6½ (don’t forget the half!).

Achievements: UK National Champion 3 times, 4th in the 2006 Commonwealth in Melbourne, currently 9th in Europe and in the top 30 in the world. I gradually worked my way up from playing at national level when I was Under-12 and won a few things along the way.

Favourite colour: Baby blue. Or light blue, they’re the same thing, really.

Favourite actor: Let me see- I’ve got a few actually. I like Nicholas Cage and I also love watching Will Smith films. And I really like Jesse Metcalfe, the gardener in Desperate Housewives too!!

Favourite film? Er, I can’t think of one right now. Can we come back to this one?

Alright then- what was the last film you saw? That’s easy- ‘Knocked Up’, which was what you might call a ‘chick-flick’.

So you like chick-flicks do you? Did you see the Bridget Jones films? Yes, they were OK I guess, nothing to write home about or anything like that though.

Star-sign: Aries

What car do you drive? I’ve got a Citroen C4

What’s on your i-Pod? I’ve got a huge variety of stuff I like listening to, but it also depends on my mood like everyone else. Right now, I’m listening to chill-out music, which can best be described as soft transient music.

So you’re a hippy? Ha ha ha- no, not at all. I just like listening to it now and then, but I couldn’t name you any artists or songs or anything.

Any other music you like listening to? Yes, I like R‘n’B, in particular Alicia Keyes, Akon, and Michael Jackson. But I like pop too, such as Mika, Sugababes- that sort of stuff. But I’m quite open to all sorts.

What was the last concert you went to? Beyoncé

What’s your favourite place you’ve visited? I think it has to be Melbourne, where I was for the last Commonwealth Games. I didn’t see much of the city as I was competing, but the whole atmosphere was pretty amazing and I really enjoyed the whole experience.

And the place you least enjoyed? I shouldn’t really say this in case someone from their embassy just happens to be reading, but I guess I’d have to say the Czech Republic!

You mentioned ‘Desperate Housewives’ earlier- is that your favourite programme then? Only when Jesse Metcalfe’s in it!! I don’t really have time for TV because just as I really get into a show or series I have to go away for 3-4 weeks and miss a big chunk of the show, or I even miss the whole ending! It’s happened to me too many times to mention, so I’ve learnt my lesson and don’t watch much telly even when I’m back home. But my fave show of the last few months was ‘Heroes’.

What football team do you support? Football team? None- I don’t watch it.

Eastenders or Coronation Street? Eastenders, definitely!

So what other sports do you enjoy watching? I love watching tennis, which has a lot of similarities with my sport. I also enjoy gymnastics and athletics, and if the mood takes me swimming as well. I swim regularly as part of my training.

What superstitions or rituals do you perform before you compete? I’m not superstitious like that.

As you like ‘Heroes’, which comic superhero would you be? One who could fly! But as everyone says that, I wouldn’t mind being invisible.

But no one would be able to see you and your opponents would keep getting byes to the next round! Ha ha ha- I like that- that’s funny!

What pets do you have? None at the moment, although I do like dogs so that’s what I’d like to get when I have the opportunity and the time.

What’s your favourite food? I love Chinese food. And Caribbean food too. Oh- and I mustn’t forget Indian food either! Basically, I love tasty food wherever it’s from.

Do you have any siblings? Yes, one older brother. I’m the youngest.

So what is your favourite film? Well, I did enjoy ‘Dirty Dancing’, or any Will Smith film.

What’s the best cleanest joke you know? I know a lot of jokes, but no clean ones!!

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By Claire Peters of BBC.co.uk - much earlier reports

Badminton player Liz Cann won the national singles title for the second time in her career.

"Even though I wasn't seeded it didn't affect me at all, you still have to play and beat the top players to win it"
Elizabeth Cann

Jersey’s Elizabeth Cann has reclaimed her national badminton title at the English National Badminton Championships in Manchester.

It is the second time that 27 year-old Cann has earned the national singles title, having won the same event in 2005.

Cann, a former Beaulieu student, beat number one seed Jill Pittard in the final, 21-19, 21-17; a victory which goes some way towards compensating for Pittard knocking her out in the semi-finals last year.




Despite winning in two sets the match was by no means an easy ride for Cann, in fact in the beginning it looked like there could have been a very different outcome; in the first set Cann made a comeback from 8-13 down and in the second she went 2-5 down.

“I got off to a rocky start,” said Cann, “she hit down a lot more than usual so that threw my game plan out of the window for a while. Then I started getting into my groove and it was a matter of rebuilding my concentration.

"I'm very pleased, I went out in the semis last year so really wanted to make amends for that, and even though I wasn't seeded it didn't affect me at all, you still have to play and beat the top players to win it."”




On her way to winning the title the unseeded Cann knocked out not only the favourite but the fourth and second seeds as well:

In the quarter-finals she comfortably disposed of number two seed Michelle Cheung, 21-13, 21-6 before going on to defeat Rebecca Pantaney 21-17, 21-11 in the semis.