22 Might, 2025
Rising star Anya Butterworth is lastly prepared for the limelight after a shocking return to the worldwide stage on the 2025 Dubai Para Badminton Worldwide.
The 17-year-old from Manchester has been away from the worldwide circuit for the previous two years on account of damage, exams and Paralympic qualification.
Within the meantime, she has been honing her abilities behind the scenes, a tactic that in the end paid off with a roaring victory at her first competitors again on courtroom.
Butterworth beat good buddy Nina Kozlova of Ukraine 21-18 21-16 within the girls’s SH6 last in what was an emotional triumph for {the teenager}.
“I’m nonetheless on a excessive from it,” she mentioned. “That was my first worldwide match in two years, and it actually felt just like the coaching has paid off. I couldn’t have requested for a greater match.
“I really feel like I’ve labored so laborious, bodily and mentally over the previous two years.
“I’ve beforehand struggled with nerves which affected my sport and so to go to this match and really feel so relaxed was nice.
“The ultimate was an unimaginable match and clearly I’m over the moon with the outcomes.
“Afterwards, I switched my cellphone again on and it simply exploded with all these messages. It was the perfect feeling ever.”
Butterworth noticed fast success within the sport at a younger age, first choosing up a badminton racket in 2019 after being inspired by none apart from Tim Shepherd, the daddy of two-time Paralympian Jack Shepherd.
GOLD within the sixth Fazza Dubai Para Badminton Worldwide 2025 for Anya Butterworth within the Girls’s Singles🥇👏
Congratulations to Anya who didn’t drop a single sport on path to first place!🤩
Effectively performed to Dom Corridor, David Follet and Victoria Bailey for his or her performances🙌 pic.twitter.com/p1OPhti3Yp
— Badminton England (@BadmintonEnglnd) May 13, 2025
Three years later, she was on the airplane to her first European Championships.
“After I was 9, I joined the Dwarf Sports activities Affiliation and I entered each sport that I may, together with badminton,” she mentioned.
“Tim Shepherd, who’s Jack Shepherd’s dad, is likely one of the individuals who runs the Affiliation and in 2019 he was chatting to my mum about badminton and the way they had been wanting for lots of feminine gamers.
“He launched me to the UK Championships. I had barely picked up a badminton racket, however me being me, I turned up and have been within the sport since.”
At simply 17, Butterworth is now ranked twenty second on the planet for girls’s SH6 singles and second in England behind Paris 2024 Paralympian Rachel Choong.
However alongside her ardour and ability on the courtroom, the younger badminton participant believes it’s her dedication to by no means hand over that’s the reason behind her continued success.
“One thing that stands out for me is my resilience on courtroom,” she added.
“On the European Championships in 2023, I had one match versus Kozlova and I used to be down 20-9 within the second set however we ended it 21-18 to her.
“I feel that was one in all my proudest moments in a global match, showcasing my resilience and never giving in till the umpire says sport.”
Like most teenage athletes, Butterworth is at the moment studying methods to steadiness her time finding out for A-Ranges with bettering her badminton abilities.
However when she does make time for herself, the Mancunian admitted that she usually turns her hand to the humanities and is an everyday thespian off the courtroom.
“I’m in first yr of school, and although my weeks principally encompass finding out and badminton, I’ve all the time been into drama,” she mentioned.
“I’ve performed just a few little productions on the Royal Trade Theatre in Manchester and I’ve been concerned with just a few younger performing teams.
“I’ve simply all the time favored that artistic aspect and I fairly like the way it’s totally different to badminton.”
With the success of Dubai behind her, Butterworth is now turning her consideration to the British & Irish Para Badminton Worldwide in July this yr.
Hosted in Wales, it should mark the primary Stage One competitors that Butterworth has ever competed in and can see her come up towards the likes of Choong as soon as extra.
And with hopes of competing on the European Championships in September, Butterworth can be utilizing each final drop of confidence from her season opener to proceed her upwards trajectory.
“For the remainder of this yr, it’s nearly getting again into the swing of issues and taking part in a wide range of gamers inside the high seeds,” she mentioned.
“I’ve a match in Wales developing and it will likely be my first Stage One, which I’m very excited for, however I really feel like it will likely be a really difficult match due to that.
“To see my outcomes repay in Dubai, I’ve now bought the arrogance that my coaching and psychological technique does work.
“I really feel very longing for the remainder of this yr going into European Championships so I really feel like I’m on a very constructive monitor on the minute.”
Photos: Badminton Photograph/Anya Butterworth
