Badminton: Net skills find a second home

By TERRY MADDAFORD

As Bulgarian-born Pavlina Nola is being welcomed into New Zealand's tennis ranks, Danish-born Sara Runesten-Petersen is giving our badminton skills a timely boost.

Armed with her official residency qualification, Runesten-Petersen is off to next month's world championships in Seville. After that, provided she gains citizenship and a Kiwi passport, the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games will be her next stop.

The 25-year-old former Danish international is no Jenny-come-lately to this part of the world.

She is looking forward to representing the country that has been her second home since 1995, when she arrived determined that her "have racket, will travel" attitude would expand her sporting world.

"I played in the Wisden Cup for Waitakere in 1995 and stayed a year," she said. That stay began a love affair - in more ways than one.

While here, she met then national squad member Anton Gargiulo, who not much later headed for Denmark, where he stayed and played badminton for 18 months.

That began a long-distance sporting shuttle for the pair which resulted in Gargiulo playing his way into the New Zealand team for the 1998 Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games.

These days his racket is in the cupboard and, with an extra kilo or two, his sporting focus is on rugby.

Runesten-Petersen says marriage would speed her citizenship prospects, something she jokes about, but does not discount.

As a specialist doubles player, she is a welcome addition to ranks stretched thin after the post-Kuala Lumpur retirements of Amanda Carter and Sheree Jefferson, and Tammy Jenkins' decision to spend time in Australia.

Runesten-Petersen has become the doubles partner for New Zealand No 1 Rhona Robertson and they have won recent international tournaments at Counties Manukau and North Harbour.

She will join Dan Shirley, now on a pre-world championships European tour, in New Zealand's top mixed doubles pairing.

"I don't play singles," said Runesten-Petersen, who played with world-ranked Dane Ann Joergensen in her younger days.

"I'm enjoying teaming with Rhona. It is working well because she tends to go back and use her power game while I prefer to play closer to the net.

"I have practised with Dan Shirley, but have yet to play a match with him. However, as a left-hand, right-hand combination, it should work well."

While she does not get the match play she enjoyed in Europe, New Zealand's newest badminton international is enjoying the challenge and the different style of national coach Graeme Robson.

"He has a strong sports science background which brings a different perspective.

"He is keen on things such as eye tests and the hand-eye co-ordination it brings."

One thing she does miss are the heated badminton stadiums of home where there is often snow on the ground.

"I found things pretty cold when I came here, but I'm getting used to it."

As a well-travelled, multilingual sportswoman, she says having the opportunity to play her first world championships, even if not for her homeland, is something she has always dreamed of, especially as members of her family will be in Spain, watching her debut.