Alex Lane might have just missed out on a badminton team medal at the Australian Youth Olympic Festival but he insists there is still plenty of cause for optimism Down Under.
Having got the better of Malaysia in round one on Wednesday, Lane and the rest of the British team returned to the Sydney Olympic Park Sports Hall to take on China in the semi-finals.
However China proved too strong and won 5-0 meaning Lane and co faced off against Chinese Taipei in the bronze-medal match where they lost by the same margin.
This meant the 17-year-old had to make do with fourth in the team event but, despite coming so close to the podium, he admits there were plenty of positives to take away.
“Even though we lost to China and Chinese Taipei, I thought the whole team played well and we can be proud of what we did out there,” said Lane.
“There is no doubt about it, they are two of the best badminton countries in the world and we gave them a run for their money which is a good sign.
“We all put in some good performances and we didn’t disgrace ourselves by any means.
“We knew what we were going up against and we all tried our best and it is gutting to come so close to a medal but there is nothing we can do about it now.”
Despite not picking up a medal in the team event, all is not lost for Lane as he gets his singles campaign underway on Saturday.
And he is desperate to make up for missing out in the team event when he takes to the Sydney courts again.
“I have a chance to bounce back with a medal in the individual and that is the aim now,” added Lane. “I think I played well in the team event so I can take confidence from that.
“It just depends on the luck of the draw now. Hopefully I get a good enough draw to make it to at least a semi-final and have a play-off for a medal because that is the aim.”
© Sportsbeat 2013