Margaret Beck is a retired badminton

Badminton

Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...

 player from England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 who ranked among the world's best during most of the 1970s.

Playing career

An exceptional junior talent, she won women's singles at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games while still in her teens.

In 1973, Ms. Beck won the women's singles at the All-England Championships

All England Open Badminton Championships

The All England Open Badminton Championships, or simply All England, is one of the world's oldest and most prestigious badminton tournaments. Played annually, it developed after the success of world's first badminton tournament held in Guildford in 1898...

, which, aside from the international team championships (Uber Cup

Uber Cup

The Uber Cup, sometimes called the World Team Championships for Women, is a major international badminton competition contested by women's national badminton teams. First held in 1956-1957 and contested at three year intervals, it has been contested every two years since 1984 when its scheduled...

 and Thomas Cup

Thomas Cup

The Thomas Cup, sometimes called the World Men's Team Championships, is an international badminton competition among teams representing member nations of the Badminton World Federation , the sport's global governing body...

), was then the world's most prestigious tournament.

She shared the All-England

All England Open Badminton Championships

The All England Open Badminton Championships, or simply All England, is one of the world's oldest and most prestigious badminton tournaments. Played annually, it developed after the success of world's first badminton tournament held in Guildford in 1898...

 women's doubles title with Gillian Gilks

Gillian Gilks

Gillian Gilks is a former badminton player from England who won numerous major titles in all three events between the late 1960s and the mid-1980s.Tall and slender in her badminton prime, with elegant, accurate strokes, Gilks is the most successful player ever in the...

 in 1974. She won singles at the World Invitation Tournament, a forerunner of the BWF World Championships

BWF World Championships

The BWF World Championships is a tournament organized by the Badminton World Federation to crown the best badminton players in the world....

, that was held in Jakarta, Indonesia in 1974.

Her other international singles titles included the European Badminton Championships

European Badminton Championships

The European Badminton Championships is a tournament organized by the Badminton Europe . The first of these competitions was held in 1968. The competition is held once every two years to determine the best badminton players in Europe....

 (1972), and the Canadian

Canadian Open (badminton)

The Canadian Open in badminton is an international open held in Canada since 1957. The tournament is traditionally held every year in September....

 (1975), Irish

Irish International (badminton)

The Irish International in badminton is an international open held in Ireland since 1902 and is thereby one of the oldest badminton tournaments in the world. It was interrupted by the two World Wars. This tournament is currently a part of the European Badminton Circuit.-21st century:Below is the...

 (1971), Portuguese

Portugal Open (badminton)

The Portugal Open in badminton is an international open held annually in Portugal since 1965. It is currently a part of the European Badminton Circuit.-Previous winners:-External links:*...

 (1973), Scottish

Scottish Open (badminton)

The Scottish Open in badminton is an open international championships held in Scotland since 1907 and is thereby one of the oldest badminton tournaments in the world. The tournament was halted during the two World Wars.-21st century:...

 (1972, 1974), and South African

South African Badminton Championships

The South African Badminton Championships is an annual badminton tournament held in South Africa since 1937.-Previous winners:-References:*...

 (1976) Opens. She also won five English National

English National Badminton Championships

The English National Badminton Championships is a tournament organized by the Badminton England to crown the best badminton players in England.The tournament started in 1964 and is held every year.-Past winners:-References:***...

 singles titles (against opposition that included the formidable Gillian Gilks

Gillian Gilks

Gillian Gilks is a former badminton player from England who won numerous major titles in all three events between the late 1960s and the mid-1980s.Tall and slender in her badminton prime, with elegant, accurate strokes, Gilks is the most successful player ever in the...

), and a dozen or more international doubles titles.

Noted for her rigorous fitness regimen, she developed a problem with her knee which was seriously aggravated during the first World Badminton Championships

BWF World Championships

The BWF World Championships is a tournament organized by the Badminton World Federation to crown the best badminton players in the world....

in 1977. The singles and doubles bronze medals that she earned there would be her last. Despite surgeries and attempted rehabilitation she never played serious competitive badminton again.