London 2012 Olympics: Chris Adcock and Imogen Bankier go for badminton gold "It was a nerve-racking opening for us but from then on we got better and better," says Adcock, 23. When you are performing that well, with confidence and family and friends watching, there is nothing you can't achieve. We went up a level that week and have done ever since. Indeed they have. Thrust together at the back end of 2010 and winning world silver eight months later, they have played 18 tournaments and cemented their place as a world top 10 pair. It included a pressure-cooker environment during Olympic qualification where three British pairs were vying for one berth. Adcock describes the past 18 months as "tasking, emotional and rewarding." From an inauspicious start, the duo beat Robertson and Jenny Wallwork twice to qualify eight places ahead of them. You could sense Adcock and Bankier's emotion last week when a four-man squad was announced at a gathering at the London Stock Exchange. For anyone in their first Olympics, it was always going to be emotional. I want to progress further than just being an Olympian and put myself on the podium. It is a life's work and a dream ever since I watched Simon Archer and Jo Goode [win Olympic bronze in 2000]. As befits an Olympic year, there have been several off-court headlines too. The Daily Telegraph was first to report a very public Twitter spat in February, watching wide-eyed as Bankier and Wallwork began an after-lunch war of words on the social network. It started when Bankier tweeted in jest: "Why can English people not serve?!" and culminated with Wallwork telling the Glaswegian to "jog on back to Scotland." The pair have since apologised and Bankier stresses "it was just banter that got out of control." "It was one of the things that the media got hold of because it was a rivalry and we were very competitive, but it didn't really affect us," she adds. Adcock lobs away the episode with ease. We are an Olympic sport that always seems to get good attention, but that is down to the athletes who have done well. When I go home it is switching-off time with my fiancée [fellow doubles player Gabby White] and our dog, Bowser. That helps a lot. The pair in action at the World Badminton Championships last year Back on court, all the talk now is about Bankier and Adcock adapting as a pair. They revel in playing the production line of Asian talent on the world circuit and are constantly tweaking their naturally attacking style to remain at the top. The pair would dearly love to play that world final again. The reason is twofold. Since Wembley, they have twice beaten Nan Zhang and Yunlei Zhao, China's world No 1 pair and the favourites for London 2012. In the aftermath, Adcock also accused China of manipulating matches, after the eventual winners came into the final fresher thanks to their semi-final opponents - who were also Chinese - retiring mid-match. It is far from sour grapes. Statistics show a large number of retirements and walkovers in all-Chinese matches. Nevertheless, Adcock says he would love to recreate that successful Wembley run at the Olympics next month. The emotions are building inside and you have that one moment when you've realised a medal is won. We had one outburst every day, but we tried to contain it and conserve that nervous energy for the next match. If you look at Kelly Holmes when she realised she had won double Olympic gold, I think that sums up how every athlete feels when they've done something great. Plus, you can also share the success in a double pairing. I'd love to do that again. The pair have one last tournament before the Games, the cauldron and intensity of next week's Indonesian Open, regarded as the best atmosphere in the sport. "It is nothing like you have ever imagined," he says of the Jakarta experience. The noise is constant and there are no let-ups in the rallies. If you can compete there at that level, then you can play anywhere. And what do you know, they'll start with another clash against the Chinese world champions in the first round. At least we know that this pair, both still in their early twenties, are not fazed by the task.