Bruce Topping

Bruce Melvill Topping (born 25 July 1968), is a former international badminton player from Northern Ireland who competed at four Commonwealth Games and was a 19-time champion of Ireland.

Topping was a member of the Alpha Badminton Club in Lisburn,³ although he did play for Hampshire as teenager while at college in England.¹

Topping represented Ulster at provincial level⁴ and all-Ireland at international level, winning the first of his 108 caps in November 1991 against Scotland.¹ His brother Mark Topping also won international honours.⁵

Topping went to the first of his four Commonwealth Games, when he was selected to play for the 1994 Northern Irish team⁶ at the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria, Canada,⁷ where he competed in the badminton tournament.⁸ He attended a second Commonwealth Games for the 1998 Northern Irish team⁹ at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where he competed in three events.¹⁰

Although he played singles (ranking number one in Ireland),¹¹ he was very successful at doubles, partnering Michael O'Meara, his brother Mark and Graham Henderson in the men's doubles and Ann Stephens, Claire Henderson and Jayne Plunkett in mixed doubles.¹²

Two further appearances ensued at the 2002 Commonwealth Games and 2006 Commonwealth Games before he announced his retirement from playing.¹³

At retirement he was a 19-times Irish champion at the Irish National Badminton Championships, winning the singles twice,¹⁴ men's doubles eight times¹⁵ and mixed doubles nine times.¹⁶