Junior squash player to compete in the US

Junior squash player to compete in the US Namibia''s top junior squash player, Kyle Kriel, will be will be participating in the US Junior Squash Championship this month.

Kriel''s participation is by invitation of the CJS junior squash team in Centurion.

The 17-year-old is currently busy with his final preparations in Cape Town, then to Johannesburg, before he will be leaving for the States.

“I can still recall the days when Kyle used my garage as a squash court, when he was still the same height as a standard squash racquet,” recalls Kyle''s father, Lindsay Kriel.

Kriel attended training camps held by a former Canadian number one, the current SA coach.

In preparation for the US Junior Championships Kyle''s father invited the number one and three senior seeded players from Zambia to train with Kyle in Windhoek. “They were so generous to make these coaches available for the other top juniors in Windhoek during that time,” said Kriel''s father.

Junior and senior players appreciate that Kriel is always up for a game, no matter the level. “Kyle is having a huge impact on Namibian squash and is a benchmark and role model to many of our junior players,” says Henk Knipe of the Namibia Squash Association.

He is currently seeded number three in the Namibian senior ranking and has received racquets and a bag sponsored by Tecnifibre.

“Kyle is very dedicated to his sport, health and fitness, and thus is most deserving for the invite to play with the best,” said his fitness coach and biokineticist, Bjorn Magg.

The US Junior Squash Championship is slated for 17 to 20 December at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. The competition joins the Hong Kong and British Junior Open as one of the most anticipated events on the world junior squash calendar.

SPORT REPORTER