KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia will be banking on rising stars Joachim Chuah and Aira Azman to shine in the individual event of the 2023 World Junior Squash Championships in Melbourne, Australia from July 18-23.
National coach Andrew Cross believes the duo, who will be making their final bow in the prestigious meet, have what it takes to do well, especially 2022 Asian junior champion Aira.
“So far, everything is going well in Melbourne. We managed to put in several very good training sessions ahead of the tournament, which begins tomorrow, and the players are all ready for action.
“They (Joachim and Aira) want to do their best as this will be the last time they will compete in the World Junior Championships, but every round will be more challenging for them,” he said in a statement today.
Meanwhile, Aira said she is ready to guide her teammates in the team event, as she has had the experience of competing in the Asian Junior Team Squash Championships and Squash World Cup.
“Some of them are less experienced than me in team events, so I will try to show them how to do it, and we will do it together,” he said.
Apart from Joachim and Aira, Malaysia will also be banking on Tho Wei Yan, Hashvind Kugan, Low Wa Sern, Nickhileswar Moganasundharam, Harith Danial Jefri (men’s junior category) and Sehveetrraa Kumar, Anrie Goh, Doyce Ye, Thanusaa Uthrian and Whitney Wilson (women’s junior category).
The team event in the championships will be from July 24-29, and Malaysia are bent on ending a 38-year wait for the team world title, especially in the women’s event. – Bernama, July 17, 2023
