NEW DELHI: Kirsty Gilmour's love for badminton knows no bounds. And so does her craze for tattoos. She proudly wears multiple tattoos as they're all close to her heart. The 2019 film version of Little Women, Olympic rings, Mount Fuji, Croissant (to name a few)...each one bears a special meaning — she points at each one with child-like enthusiasm and shares all the relevance behind it.
"This (points at one of her tattoos) is a landscape in Scotland on the northeast coast from Lossiemouth. It's a phone box on the bridge that leads to the beach. Olympic rings for Rio and major medals or titles (...)," she explains, after a practice session ahead of World Championships here.
Most of her tattoos highlight her storied career on the court that began way back when she was barely a teenager. Gilmour, who's now 32, is one of the rare talents from her country to have left a notable impression in the racquet sport.
Incidentally, New Delhi also holds a special place in her life. It was at this very city where she had gotten the platform to express herself as a promising talent back in 2010.
"Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games was one of my first tastes of world competition. When I had just turned 17, which wasn't yesterday (grins). And Glasgow has just hosted the 2026 Commonwealth Games just two weeks ago. So every time a CWG comes around, it's quite a full circle moment for me."
Those vital minutes on court had stoked the fire in her to aim for the stars. "It was a huge part of my development, for sure, to come to Delhi. My job in Delhi 2010 was to play as much badminton as possible. I was 17, I played doubles, singles and mixed. And it was just minutes on court."
She went higher and higher after that, returning with medals at the CWG (twice) and she has been ranked as high as World No 14 in her career that spans well over a decade. Despite her miracle work, medals at elite competitions like World Championships and Olympics have proven to be beyond her reach. It's clear that her pursuit of excellence has left her overwhelmed on several occasions. At the same time, those moments have also made her resilient.
Her resilience was visible not so long ago when she finally ended her European quest — yet another pathbreaking victory. Having returned to Delhi for the latest edition of the World Championships, she is once again looking to test her mettle against some of the cream of the sport.
Just like her feats on court, she is also known to be a barrier breaker off it. Apart from her feats, she also stands out for being one of the leading advocates for LGBTQ+ community. She is hopeful that more people from the continent will join the debate.
"I would love to see that (more debate on LGBTQ+), actually. The hotel that we're staying at, The Lalit, has a massive LGBT elephant, Elfie, in the lobby. And all the staff wear LGBT flag pins and everything. To most people that stay in the hotel, that would maybe not really register or not be that important. But for me, and I know Ciara (Torrance) on our team is also part of the LGBT community, it's just a little comfort to us to know that we're not going to be treated any differently," she says.
"Although the culture here is to say sir or ma'am. And sometimes if I have a hat on, I'll get sir/ma'am. Just to cover all bases."