Rachael Darragh well-placed for Paris but far from comfortable

OLYMPIC GOAL: Rachael Darragh is keen to reach her goal of Olympic qualification. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile

Comfortable is not a positive word in sport. Comfortable suggests a contentment with where you are. It’s a concept that is anathema to the driven nature of elite athletes for whom standing still is a first cousin of falling behind.

Rachael Darragh earned a career high global badminton ranking of 59 earlier this month. She bagged her best ever result, a quarter-final at the Abu Dhabi Super 100 event, three weeks ago, and there was a podium spot at the Lagos International Challenge earlier in the year.