By Tom Degun

September 27 - Gail Emms (pictured), the Olympic silver medallist, has ruled out the possibility of making a comeback for the London 2012 Games because she is expecting her first child.



At the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, Emms and mixed doubles partner Nathan Robertson captured the hearts of the nation on their dramatic quest to glory where they were narrowly beaten by Chinese pair Zhang Jun and Gao Ling in a thrilling final that saw the British pair claim silver.

She retired after the Olympics in Beijing last year where her and Robertson reached the quarter-finals.

But Emms, who is also claimed World Championship gold with Robertson in Madrid in 2006, said that she will not be coming out of retirement despite the lure of competing at an Olympic Games on home turf.

The 32-year-old from Bedford said: “There is no chance at all of me competing at the London Olympics.

"I’ve gone and got myself pregnant so I’ll be a mum by the time we get to the 2012 Olympics.

"But I will there in London and I will be supporting the Great Britain team and cheering them all on."

Emms is extremely excited about the London 2012 Games but stresses the importance of using the Games to create a legacy for future generations of British athletes as well as members of the public who simply want to get involved in recreational sport.

Emms said: "It’s so important to create a legacy from London 2012 and I’m so passionate about creating facilities for the long term.

"It’s not just about saying ‘Oh this is a one-hit wonder with the Games’ even thought the London 2012 Olympics will be amazing.

"It’s about continuing the momentum that will be created by the Games."

Emms also pointed out that Britain will be hosting a series of international sporting competitions in the coming years in what Prime Minster Gordon Brown has titled a "decade of sport".

She said: “After London 2012, we’ve got so many more fantastic sporting events coming to Britain.

"We’ve got the Rugby League World Cup, the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, the Rugby Union World Cup and possibly the Football World Cup too.

"So it essential that we get the message out there that the London Olympics will not just be an individual event, they will be a major part of creating a legacy so that children across the country are inspired to compete in all sports and have the access and the facilities to do so."

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