BADMINTON star Heather Olver was fighting for her first Olympic win last night.

The 30-year-old and team mate Lauren Smith were battling against Indonesia in the women's doubles.

It comes after they lost their first match against Malaysia on Thursday.

Childhood coach Bruce Peapell told The Argus yesterday that the ex-Heathfield Community College was a winner whatever the result.

The 74-year-old has now retired from coaching but was the first to inspire Heather to take up badminton at the age of six at Waldron Church Hall. He said: "She is playing at an incredibly high level now and we are all very proud. It is tough - she is up against Asian teams who are particularly talented in this sport. I will always remember that look of determination in her face in training. She was never going to let that shuttlecock drop to the floor. It is something that was unique and stood out.

"This particularly showed towards the end of the four years I trained her when she became ill with Henoch-Schönlein purpura [a rare blood vessel condition] which confined her to a wheelchair for several months. Often after illness or injury the players would give up because they had missed out on so much. But not her. She did not let it stop her."

He said one thing he will always remember is that she insisted her mother Julie stayed for the entirety of each training session.

Mr Peapell said: "Her mother was very laid back and would sit at the side and watch. It became a bit of a joke, we would go in to set up - get out the shuttlecocks, get out the net, and then the chair for Heather's mum."