'We're working on being consistent on the court': SA badminton ace Ackerman

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s badminton duo of Amy Ackerman and Deidre Laurens ended 2023 dominating the Africa badminton doubles scene.

“One of the things that we have been working on is staying consistent and being patient on the court making sure we reset after every point” said Ackerman.

The duo is currently the highest-ranked pair in Africa after winning their last 3 internationals in Zambia, Botswana and South Africa to end the year with a R2P ranking of 60.

“Deidre and I have never really struggled with communication which has benefited us as we can both talk to each other which keeps us motivated and we always know that we have each other’s backs on and off the court.”

Ackerman and Laurens need to be in the top 50 in the world to qualify for the Paris Olympic Games and one of the competitions they can use to boost their ranking is All Africa Championships.

Ackerman told Eyewitness News that to be selected to represent South Africa at the Olympic Games would mean the world to her: “ It’s a lifelong dream that I have always had and will mean that all the effort and hours I’ve put in at training and tournaments would have paid off...”

According to Olympic.com in total, 172 quota places will be awarded for the badminton competitions at the Olympic Games Paris 2024: 86 for women and 86 for men. This is the same total as Tokyo 2020.

“Mentally I think it’s just making sure that we don’t underestimate any of our opponents and making sure we are on top of our game from the start. It helps a lot when there are two of you on and off the court you get to keep each other focused and ready. Supporting each other all the way.”

Ackerman started playing badminton in the garden hitting the shuttle over the telephone wire with her father.

She then went on to play for her primary school where she was introduced to professional coaching.

The athlete said to attract interest to the sport, development needs to start at the grassroots level.

“It starts at the grassroots level with the juniors and getting them to participate through inter-primary schools and high schools, but the South African teams are doing well but for our badminton to develop further the sport needs more exposure through media, sponsorship and advertising. “

Ackerman and Laurens dominate in badminton doubles at Zambia International

SA’s badminton duo Ackerman and Laurens dominate Botswana Future Series