Gail Emms broke down in tears today as her medal-winning career ended with defeat in the quarter-finals of the mixed doubles.

The 31-year-old and Nathan Robertson crashed out 21-19, 21-12 to the Korean pair Lee Yongdae and Lee Hyojung.

Emms confirmed afterwards this had been her last match. Her pairing with Robertson had produced Commonwealth and European titles and a silver medal at the Athens Olympics.

The Hitchin player, whose on-court chemistry with Robertson has been a foundation of their success, apologised to the travelling British fans for not putting up a better fight in her farewell game.

She said: "It's such a shame to go out like this. I'm so sorry. I'm going to miss the Olympics, which is the best sporting event in the world. We won a silver in Athens and it was such a proud achievement.

"I've loved what we've achieved with the Commonwealth Games and the Europeans. I don't know what I'm going to do now, I'll be chief cheerleader for Team GB."

An ambassadorial role for badminton ahead of the 2012 Olympics now looms for Emms.

Robertson paid tribute to Emms, saying she had become "a partner for life".

He added: "She's a fantastic person and has grown into a great ambassador for the sport. We didn't quite reach the pinnacle in the Olympics but we have done everything else we wanted to achieve. We're going to be the best of friends."

Robertson, who had hoped to persuade Emms to continue to 2012 if they won a gold in Beijing, hinted he may quit mixed doubles too, rather than search for a replacement.

He said: "I'll take two months to think about it. Gail has been my partner since our teens so it is going to be difficult to replace her, if at all. I'm sure she will get involved with badminton for 2012 and she will be fantastic at that.

"For London 2012 I want to be there but whether it's on the court I don't know."

The British pair were cheered on at the Beijing University of Technology Gymnasium by hundreds of union-jack waving fans, including Princess Anne.

The British pair, however, offered little resistance to the Koreans and capitulated after saving four game points in the opener.

Emms admitted she could not cope with the "perfect" serve of Yongdae's female partner Hyojung.

The British pair produced some outstanding shots but showed only glimpses of the teamwork that helped them beat the Chinese No2 seeds in an epic battle that rekindled hopes of a gold medal on Tuesday.