Gilmour aims to avoid 'circus' at third Olympics

Kirsty Gilmour will become a three-time Olympian

Kirsty Gilmour is purposely trying "to get less caught up in the circus" of her third Olympic Games.

The Scottish four-time European badminton silver medallist, 30, was part of the Great Britain team at Rio 2016 and the delayed Tokyo 2020 Games.

Englishmen Ben Lane and Sean Vendy make up the British badminton contingent in Paris.

"Tokyo came round with a wild set of circumstances with the pandemic - all sorts of protocols that I am so glad that we don't have to do this time," Gilmour told BBC Radio Scotland's Sportsound.

"This time around, I feel a little bit more calm, a little bit more prepared. I've broken that 30-year-old mark. It's exciting but I'm trying to get less caught up in the circus of it this time.

"For me as a singles player, there is one chance to win one medal so it's pretty tough odds. It's a huge ask but that's what is so exciting about these major championships - wild stuff can happen."

Gilmour's first major medal came at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, where she took silver, and she has no plans to call time on her career.

"I've sustained a top-30 ranking for the vast majority of the last decade, which is funny that I can actually look back that far," she added.

"I'm trying to reflect in a really positive way now that I'm at this point in my career but not look at it through rose-tinted glasses just yet because there's still a lot that I want to do in my career and there's not an end point for me in sight just yet."