Wikipedia

Kelly Morgan

For the English boxer and javelin thrower, see Kelly Morgan (athlete).

Kelly Ann Aston MBE (née Morgan, born 22 May 1975) is a Welsh badminton player. She has represented Wales and Great Britain in regional and international competitions, including the Olympics and the Commonwealth Games, winning gold in the 1998 Commonwealth Games, and beat world number one Ye Zhaoying of China in the 1999 IBF World Championships.

Kelly Aston
MBE
Personal information
Birth nameKelly Ann Morgan[1]
Born (1975-05-22) 22 May 1975 (age 49)[2]
Pontypridd, Mid Glamorgan, Wales
Height5 ft 10 in (178 cm)[2]
Weight65 kg (143 lb)[2]
HandednessRight
Medal record
Women's badminton
Representing  Wales
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place 1998 Kuala Lumpur Women's singles
European Championships
Silver medal – second place 1998 Sofia Women's singles
Bronze medal – third place 2000 Glasgow Women's singles

Career

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Aston began playing badminton at age nine. Her brother, Ross, was initially trying for the Welsh national team, and she only made the team as a result of accompanying him to the trials.[3]

In 1999, Aston was voted Welsh Woman of the Year;[3] she was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2002 Birthday Honours for "services to the community, especially through Sport, in South Wales."[1][4][5]

Aston won 13 consecutive Women's Singles titles at the Welsh National Badminton Championships between 1992 and 2004, as well as six Women's Doubles and 4 Mixed Doubles titles. In 1998, she received a gold medal representing Wales at the Commonwealth Games, won silver at the 1998 European Badminton Championships, and bronze at the 2000 European Badminton Championships. She also represented Great Britain at the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games.[citation needed]

Personal life

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Aston was born in Pontypridd and attended Bryn Celynnog Comprehensive School.[2][6] She married her husband, Dylan Aston, in 2002, and has two children, Ethan and Ella.[3][7] As of December 2015 is a teacher at the GEMS Wellington Academy-Al Khail in Dubai.[7][8] She has also been heavily involved in charity work, particularly relating to Down Syndrome, and was the patron of the Down's Syndrome Association of Wales.[4][3]

Achievements

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Commonwealth Games

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Women’s singles

Year Venue Opponent Score Result
1998 Kuala Lumpur Badminton Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia   Aparna Popat 13–10, 11–5   Gold

European Championships

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Women's singles

Year Venue Opponent Score Result
2000 Kelvin Hall International Sports Arena, Glasgow, Scotland   Camilla Martin 11–4, 6–11, 1–11   Bronze
1998 Winter Sports Palace, Sofia, Bulgaria   Camilla Martin 2–11, 4–11   Silver

IBF World Grand Prix

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The World Badminton Grand Prix has been sanctioned by the International Badminton Federation since 1983.

Women's singles

Year Tournament Opponent Score Result
1997 Dutch Open   Judith Meulendijks 9–11, 11–6, 8–11   Runner-up
2003 US Open   Lee Eun-woo 13–10, 7–11, 11–5   Winner

Women's doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result
1996 Polish Open   Joanne Muggeridge   Christine Gandrup
  Marina Andrievskaya 		10–15, 8–15   Runner-up
1997 Dutch Open   Pernille Harder   Erica van den Heuvel
  Monique Hoogland 		15–9, 15–9   Winner

IBF International

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Women's singles

Year Tournament Opponent Score Result
2003 Irish International   Tine Rasmussen 9–11, 5–11   Runner-up
2003 Southern PanAm Classic   Kanako Yonekura 2–11, 3–11   Runner-up
2003 Brazil International   Miho Tanaka 8–11, 2–11   Runner-up
2003 Peru International   Dolores Marco 11–9, 11–5   Winner
2003 Croatian International   Pi Hongyan 11–6, 5–11, 4–11   Runner-up
2003 Polish International   Xu Huaiwen 5–11, 11–9, 3–11   Runner-up
2002 Mexico International   Sandra Jimeno 11–1, 11–2   Winner
2001 Scottish International   Christina Sørensen 8–6, 7–2, 5–7, ?, ?   Runner-up
1997 French International   Karolina Ericsson 12–9, 11–3   Winner
1996 Welsh International   Karolina Ericsson 11–4, 11–4   Winner
1996 Norwegian International   Marina Andrievskaya –,–   Winner
1996 Finnish International   Joanne Muggeridge 10–12, 5–11   Runner-up

Women's doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result
1996 Welsh International   Sarah Hardaker   Brenda Conjin
  Nicole van Hooren 		15–6, 10–15, 4–15   Runner-up
1996 Finnish International   Joanne Muggeridge   Nichola Beck
  Joanne Davies 		15–3, 15–10   Winner
1995 Portugal International   Sarah Hore   Mette Hansen
  Majken Vange 		6–15, 17–14, 12–15   Runner-up
1994 Hungarian International   Anne Søndergaard   Sarah Hardaker
  Rebecca Pantaney 		8–15, 11–15   Runner-up

Mixed doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result
2004 Welsh International   Matthew Hughes   Chris Langridge
  Caroline Westley 		17–14, 8–15, 15–7   Winner

References

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  1. ^ a b "MBEs: I – M". BBC News. 14 June 2002. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d "Kelly Morgan". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d Harris, Nick (28 July 2002). "Badminton: Morgan the Racket seeks action replay of greatest moment". The Independent. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
  4. ^ a b "Badminton star Morgan honoured". BBC Sport. 14 June 2002. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
  5. ^ "No. 56595". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 June 2002. p. 19.
  6. ^ "Golden swimmer with a will to win". BBC News. 14 September 2008. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
  7. ^ a b Matthew, Monl (14 October 2014). "Commonwealth gold medallist Kelly in Dubai". Khaleej Times. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
  8. ^ "Meet our Faculty". GEMS Wellington Academy-Al Kahail. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
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