SHE is the UK number one and Commonwealth silver medallist with realistic hopes of cracking the world top 10.

But instead of being able to focus solely on improving her game, Scots badminton ace Kirsty Gilmour must spend precious time searching the internet for cheap flights and seeking sponsorship after she lost £30,000 a year in expenses and saw her salary halved in a funding shake-up.

Speaking for the first time about how she believes UK Sport’s “devastating” decision to cut badminton’s funding leaves her at a competitive disadvantage, the 23-year-old European silver medallist, who has been playing the sport since she was four, said: “Badminton is my life. I train five hours every day and spend hours on the physio table or travelling to and from tournaments.

“It’s the best job in the world and I’ve never wanted to do anything else. But losing this funding makes it even harder to compete and be successful at the top level.”

Badminton was among six sports to lose its Olympic funding, despite meeting performance targets set by UK Sport in Rio.

According to Gilmour, who will lead Scotland’s charge at the Badminton World Championships in Glasgow in August, the realities of the much-reduced funding set-up are already kicking in.

“Myself and other members of the Scotland team play in top tournaments all over the world and as part of that our travel and hotels used to be arranged and paid for by GB Badminton,” she explained.

“But since we lost the funding I now do all the admin myself. Realistically, that means spending hours after training on comparison websites looking for the cheapest flights and hotels. If I have to take two connecting flights instead of one, that puts me at a disadvantage. I routinely have to weigh up whether I go cheap and save some cash by taking the long way round, or spend more and go all-out to win the round.

“If you don’t stay at a tournament hotel it might be cheaper. But then the transfers to the venues aren’t included so you have to factor in taxis. Or it can mean having to travel without a coach or physio.

“I was literally picking up the keys for a flat I’d just bought when I got a call to say we’d lost all our funding. It was devastating.”

But Gilmour, who is based in Glasgow, isn’t letting the funding gap bring her down. Working her way back to the top following knee surgery to repair cartilage damage in October after the Olympics, she is currently world number 18, but has previously been as high as 14.

“This is a very important time in my career,” said the Bothwell-born athlete. “I’m working with a new coach from Malaysia and things are really starting to come together and fall into place, all linking up from training to matchplay. If I can start to do that consistently things could get very interesting. There’s no reason why I can’t reach the world top 10 or top five.

“That makes it even more frustrating that I have to spend time worrying about admin and finances. At this level it can be the smallest of margins that really makes the difference in winning. And the truth is most of my competitors aren’t having to stress about these things – they can concentrate on their performance on the court.”

Gilmour is appealing to businesses to help bridge the funding gap. Success, she believes, breeds success and would inspire others to take up the sport, just as Andy Murray has inspired so many youngsters to take up tennis.

“Sponsorship would be wonderful, either individually or for the Scotland squad,” she explained. “I like to think we would be a positive association for any business. I can’t wait to play at the Emirates Stadium in August. I have so many happy memories from winning my Commonwealth silver there in front of the home crowd.

“The atmosphere was electric and I love playing in front of big crowds.

“People who come along to the World Championships will love what they see. Badminton is such an exciting and fast sport at elite level.

“We have wonderful facilities in Glasgow, but we need to make sure they are utilised. The more great tournaments people see, the more they will want to play. It’s very accessible – you can play in a church hall or a primary school.

“I reckon 90 per cent of people have played badminton at some point. It’s such a great way to stay active and have fun.

“It would be great if they gave it another try.”