A FORMER Queen Margaret University student has put her studies on hold to concentrate on her efforts on the badminton court.

Basia Grodynska had been accepted to join the evolutionary genetics masters course at the University of Edinburgh after graduating from the Musselburgh university with a BSc in human biology.

However, she has opted to take time out from her studies to develop her badminton skills further and to improve her eligibility for international selection by competing in open international tournaments.

Grodynska, 21, took the decision to focus on the sport after starring in the women’s singles at the Badminton Scotland National Championships.

Grodynska, who attended North Berwick High School, reached the final of the competition in Perth. Along the way, she overcame Iona Muir (21-6, 21-5), Scotland’s under-17 national champion, in the quarter-final.

The victory was followed with a triumph over Lauren Middleton, second seed at the competition and a member of Badminton Scotland’s national squad, in the semi-final.

The contest produced a competitive and entertaining match, with Longniddry’s Grodynska showing character after losing the first set 21-7. She fought back to take the second set 21-19 and then the deciding third set 21-17.

Two hours later, she was on court again, this time in the final against Rachel Sugden, the number one seed and also a full-time member of the national squad. This was another highly competitive match but, after losing the first set 21-13, Grodynska’s fightback was not sufficient to thwart the strong performance of Sugden, who won the second set 21-16 to take the title.

Grodynska, who has been training in Glasgow with Badminton Scotland, said: “I am very proud of myself for what I have achieved considering the difficulties imposed on me as a student athlete because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“My motivation and patience were certainly tested at times so I’m extremely happy with such a positive result in my badminton and I am now confidently looking forward to future tournaments ahead.”

The former Longniddry Primary School pupil rose through the East Lothian Schools PAiS programme and, as beneficiary of an East Lothian Sports Award, has made good use of local facilities when open, including those at Meadowmill, Tranent, Haddington and North Berwick.

Her dad Stan said: “In terms of playing at a competitive level, I have always played a lot of sport.

“My wife Chris and I used to play socially in Longniddry and [Basia] has got an older brother, Andy, who plays rugby. He would partner my wife and Basia, when she was old enough to hold the racket head above the net, used to partner me. From that time on, her interest in the sport has grown.”