KUALA LUMPUR: National young squash athlete, Aira Azman (pix), who excelled at the 2023 World Junior Squash Championships held in Melbourne, Australia two weeks ago, has been hailed as a rising star on the squash scene.
National squash coach, Andrew Cross, described the 18-year-old as a new gem in Malaysian squash after her successful journey to the finals, a feat previously accomplished by the world legend, Datuk Nicol Ann David, in the 2001 edition.
Malaysia returned with pride as Aira emerged as the runner-up in the individual event after losing to defending champion Amina Orfi of Egypt 8-11, 5-11, 1-11, and at the same time, the women’s team also secured the same title.
“She has a lot of potential; even though she lost in the finals, she has already begun to challenge some players ranked above her and defeated players within the top 10 rankings.
“Facing the Egyptian player in the final was a tough task, but I feel she gave her best throughout the past week. She can be proud to say that she had two outstanding weeks in Australia,“ he said in a statement today.
Although the opportunity to make history as champions in the women’s team event slipped away, Cross also believes that the existing squad has great potential, especially among some players who will transition to senior competition in the future.
Apart from Aira, others who contributed to Malaysia’s success as runners-up in the World Junior Championship were K. Sehveetrraa, U.Thanusaa, and Whitney Isabelle Wilson. -Bernama