After proving that she remains at the peak of her powers, Scotland's outstanding racquet sportswoman has admitted that she has no realistic hope of competing in another Olympics.

Imogen Bankier's wins with Robert Blair in the mixed doubles, and Kirsty Gilmour in the women's doubles, took her total title haul to 15 at the Scottish National Championships in Perth at the weekend.

However at just 27 years old, the same age as Andy Murray who was resurgent at the recent Australian Open, the 2011 World Championship mixed doubles finalist is taking something of a sabbatical as she tries to decide what her sporting future holds.

Bankier won that World Championship silver medal with Chris Adcock, but that partnership broke up as she opted to quit the British programme after contesting the 2012 Olympics in order to focus on winning a medal for Scotland at the Commonwealth Games.

She achieved that and also formed a highly promising new women's doubles partnership, but for different reasons, with Blair, at 33, in the twilight of a fine career and Gilmour having set new standards in women's singles, Bankier is having to re-consider her situation.

"For Kirsty it's straight into Olympic qualifying now, but it's kind of a limbo period as there always is after a major event," she explained.

"We had a bit of quiet time after the Commonwealth Games then came back out and won the Scottish Open which, to be honest, was a bit of a surprise given how many weeks training I'd done. So then I was just practising for the nationals and then we've got the European team event next week and that's all that's on the horizon at the minute."

There is disappointment that she and Gilmour will not be able to build on the work done in a relatively short period of time.

"I've been looking around for partners," she said.

"The partnership with Kirsty I would quite like to pursue because I think we're one of the top GB pairs, but at the moment her singles is doing so well that the coaches maybe feel it's quite difficult for her to play two events. Personally I think it's a shame, but that's the way it is."

The bigger problem, however, is that she is not going to get the chance to play to her greatest strength in the immediate future, however Bankier is philosophical.

"Certainly my strong event is mixed and I don't feel at this time there's anybody in GB that is available that is matching my ambitions and aspirations, so the Olympics is kind of out for me at the moment which is OK, it's kind of what I expected when I left the GB programme in 2012 after the last Olympics.

"That was so I could pursue a Scottish partnership for the Commonwealth Games and then there was a big question-mark over what I was going to do, so I wouldn't say the situation I'm in is unexpected, there just isn't anybody at the moment I feel I'd really like to play with."

In terms of staying involved in the sport a solution may be available later this year, however even then it will not offer any prospect of returning to the Olympics, so she is now looking towards life beyond badminton and has joined the business that is run by her father, Celtic chairman Ian.

"There's a (non-British) partner who's asked me to play in August, but that's quite a long time to wait so at the moment I'm actually working for the next six months at The Whisky Shop headquarters," said Bankier.

" It's really good and there's a lot of exciting stuff happening. I'm happy to be involved especially at this time. It feels like the right move for me, so it's six months of working and then come August I just have to re-assess."

She is adamant that should not be interpreted as a retirement announcement at this stage, but at what seems a ridiculously early age she is clearly preparing herself for the prospect and can do so in the knowledge that with world and Olympic medals in her collection as well as having participated in an Olympic Games, she has already had an exceptional career.

"I could keep playing but I am reliant on partners and if it's not the partner I'm looking for then that's the way it is," Bankier pointed out.

"I feel I've achieved a tremendous amount and I'll struggle to better that. For me there has to be a time where you draw a line and move on. That time hasn't come just yet but maybe it will.

"I'll reassess it. I'm not retiring or anything like that, I'm just taking a step aside for six months and then I'll reassess it then and see what the situation is with partners."