New perspective for Olympian Vendy as he sets sights on Paris Games

Dad-to-be Sean Vendy is heading to his second Olympics with a fresh sense of perspective.

One half of a long-standing men’s doubles pairing alongside Ben Lane, the 28-year-old from Milton Keynes found out in March that his partner Shannon was expecting their first child.

He told Lane on the day they flew out to the Swiss Open and they went on to win the competition, the highest-profile trophy they have lifted as a duo.

Vendy now hopes his fledgling good luck charm works its magic come the summer as he targets a place on the podium.

“It (fatherhood) definitely sits in the back of my head at all times,” he said.

“When things are getting really tough in training and I’m thinking ‘I don’t have a lot left here’, you remind yourself that you’re not just doing it for yourself anymore, you’re doing it for someone else.

“It does change your mindset and your perspective. This isn’t everything anymore, I have something else on the horizon which is one of the biggest things you can do in life.”

Vendy made his Olympic debut alongside Lane in Tokyo and celebrated his selection this time around by opening the market at the London Stock Exchange.

He and Lane are part of Britain’s smallest-ever Olympic badminton squad, Scot Kirsty Gilmour completing the trio who will head over the Channel and are looking to add to the three medals Britain has previously claimed in the sport.

The most recent of those came at Rio 2016 when Chris Langridge and Marcus Ellis claimed bronze before being controversially overlooked in favour of the lower-ranked Lane and Vendy three years ago.

“It was a bit different last time as we weren’t expected to go,” Vendy said.

“We took a massive step in the year between 2020 and 2021 and if the Games hadn’t been postponed, we’d have had no chance.

“Did it affect our prep? Maybe slightly. It’s difficult to say it didn’t, just because of everything around it and the atmosphere in the team.”

Both Lane and Vendy will benefit from Aldi’s Nearest & Dearest programme in the French capital.

The initiative helps maximise support and minimise potential distractions for athletes so that they can focus on their performance and make the most of the unique opportunity to compete on one of the world’s largest stages.

“We’ve progressed a lot as players and as people since Tokyo, which didn’t feel like it should have – there were no fans there, or friends and family,” Vendy said.

“This time, it will hopefully feel like a home Games and that should suit us.

“We always have that no fear attitude, we think we can beat anyone. That helps us get over the line sometimes.

“We don’t fear anything, we are hungry, and we are giving everything we’ve got day in, day out. We just have to trust that will be enough.”

Aldi are proud Official Partners of Team GB & ParalympicsGB, supporting all athletes through to Paris 2024