Mariana Agathangelou
Sport/Event: Badminton, Women’s and mixed doubles
Date and Place of Birth: 1988, Jersey
Coached by: Peter Bush
Course: Coach Education and Sports Development
Teams: England, TeamBath, Jersey
Biography: Mariana Agathangelou is rated as one of Britain’s most talented badminton players. The left-hander took up the sport aged eight. She studied for a degree in Coach Education and Sports Development at the University of Bath, where she also trained at the high performance badminton centre.
Among her achievements were some remarkable performances at the 2005 Island Games, when she won gold medals in all four events in which she competed – the women’s doubles, mixed doubles, women’s singles and team event. In March 2006 she won two titles at the English National Under-19 Championships, although still aged only 17.
But her biggest success came on her home courts when she won the women’s doubles title of Badminton England’s ASICS National Elite Open Circuit Grand Finals in December 2006, aged just 18 and partnering 16-year-old Gabby White. The pair beat the more experienced partnership of Suzanne Rayappan and Jenny Wallwork 22-20, 21-18 at the Sports Training Village.
Career highlights:
Selected to represent Jersey at Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, May 2014
Bronze – Team event, Commonwealth Games, Delhi, India, October 2010
Selected to represent England at Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India, 2010
Gold – Women’s doubles, Welsh International Championships, November 2008
Gold – Doubles, International Badminton Championships, Glasgow, November 2008
Gold – Women’s doubles (with Gabby White), ASICS National Elite Open Circuit Grand Finals, University of Bath, December 2006
Gold – Women’s doubles (with Natalie Munt), Welsh Open, Cardiff, December 2006
Gold – Women’s doubles (with Gabby White), ASICS National Elite Open Circuit, Wimbledon, November 2006
Silver – Women’s doubles (with Gabby White), Slovakia, October 2006
Gold – Women’s doubles (with Jenny Wallwork), England National Under-19 Championships, Milton Keynes, March 2006
Gold – Mixed doubles (with Dean George), England National Under-19 Championships, Milton Keynes, March 2006
Silver – Women’s doubles (with Rachel Howard), Welsh Open, Cardiff, December 2005
Gold – Women’s doubles, Island Games, Milton Keynes, Shetland, July 2005
Gold – Mixed doubles, Island Games, Milton Keynes, Shetland, July 2005
Gold – Team event, Island Games, Milton Keynes, Shetland, July 2005
Gold – Women’s singles, Island Games, Milton Keynes, Shetland, July 2005
Gold – Mixed doubles (with Peter Mills), England National Under-17 Championships, Milton Keynes, March 2005
Gold – Women’s doubles (with Vicki Ingram), England National Under-17 Championships, Milton Keynes, March 2005
Silver – Mixed doubles (with Edward Foster), England National Under-19 Championships, Milton Keynes, February 2005
