Kelly Ann Aston (, born 22 May 1975) is a Welsh

badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per side) and "doubles" (with two players p ...

player. She has represented Wales and Great Britain in regional and international competitions, including the

Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a vari ...

and the

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the ex ...

, winning gold in the

1998 Commonwealth Games The 1998 Commonwealth Games ''( Malay: Sukan Komanwel 1998)'', officially known as the XVI Commonwealth Games ''(Malay: Sukan Komanwel ke-16)'', was a multi-sport event held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This edition is marked by several unpreceden ...

, and beat world number one Ye Zhaoying of China in the 1999 IBF World Championships.

Career

Aston began playing badminton at age nine. Her brother, Ross, was initially trying for the Welsh national team, and she only made the team as a result of accompanying him to the trials. In 1999, Aston was voted Welsh Woman of the Year; she was appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(MBE) in the

2002 Birthday Honours Queen's Birthday Honours are announced on or around the date of the Queen's Official Birthday in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. The dates vary, both from year to year and from country to country. All are published in supp ...

for "services to the community, especially through Sport, in South Wales." Aston won 13 consecutive Women's Singles titles at the

Welsh National Badminton Championships The Welsh National Badminton Championships is a tournament organized to crown the best badminton players in Wales since 1938. However, until 1960 there was only mixed doubles competition, in 1960 the number of competitions increased to three, with ...

between 1992 and 2004, as well as six Women's Doubles and 4 Mixed Doubles titles. In 1998, she received a gold medal representing Wales at the

, won silver at the

1998 European Badminton Championships The 16th European Badminton Championships were held in Sofia, Bulgaria, between 18 and 25 April 1998, and hosted by the European Badminton Union and the Bulgarian Badminton Federation. Venue The competition was held at the Winter Sports Palace ...

, and bronze at the

2000 European Badminton Championships The 17th European Badminton Championships were held in Glasgow, Scotland, between 25 and 29 April 2000, and hosted by the European Badminton Union and the Scottish Badminton Union. Venue This tournament was held at the Kelvin Hall Internationa ...

. She also represented Great Britain at the

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 800, causing the plane to crash and killing everyone o ...

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...

and

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight ...

Olympic Games.

Personal life

Aston was born in

Pontypridd () ( colloquially: Ponty) is a town and a community in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Geography comprises the electoral wards of , Hawthorn, Pontypridd Town, 'Rhondda', Rhydyfelin Central/Ilan ( Rhydfelen), Trallwng ( Trallwn) and Treforest (). ...

and attended

Bryn Celynnog Comprehensive School Bryn Celynnog Comprehensive School is an 11–18 mixed, English-medium, community secondary school and sixth form in Beddau, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Notable alumni * Ellis Jenkins, rugby union player * Gethin Jenkins, rugby union player ...

. She married her husband, Dylan Aston, in 2002, and has two children, Ethan and Ellen. is a teacher at the

GEMS Gems, or gemstones, are polished, cut stones or minerals. Gems or GEMS may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Gems'' (Aerosmith album), 1988 * ''Gems'' (Patti LaBelle album), 1994 * ''Gems'' (Michael Bolton album), 2011 *Gems TV, a ...

Wellington Academy-Al Khail in

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, wikt:دبي, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the List of cities in the United Arab Emirates#Major cities, most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 ...

. She has also been heavily involved in charity work, particularly relating to

Down Syndrome Down syndrome or Down's syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is usually associated with physical growth delays, mild to moderate intellectual d ...

, and was the patron of the Down's Syndrome Association of Wales.

Achievements

Commonwealth Games

''Women’s singles''

European Championships

''Women's singles''

IBF World Grand Prix

The World Badminton Grand Prix has been sanctioned by the International Badminton Federation since 1983. ''Women's singles'' ''Women's doubles''

IBF International

''Women's singles'' ''Women's doubles'' ''Mixed doubles''

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morgan, Kelly Welsh female badminton players 1975 births Living people Badminton players at the 1996 Summer Olympics Badminton players at the 2000 Summer Olympics Badminton players at the 2004 Summer Olympics Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Wales Badminton players at the 1998 Commonwealth Games Badminton players at the 2006 Commonwealth Games Olympic badminton players of Great Britain Sportspeople from Pontypridd Members of the Order of the British Empire Commonwealth Games medallists in badminton Badminton players at the 2002 Commonwealth Games