Alex Haydon wins sixth successive national title then appears in Youth Olympics in Argentina
SOUTH Australian Alex Haydon, building an impressive junior career, is optimistic squash will become an Olympic sport and she dreams of chasing a medal.
SOUTH Australia’s emerging squash star Alex Haydon is even more hopeful the sport will enter the Olympic Games after being teased by an appearance at the Youth Olympics in Argentina last week.
Despite the lack of scoring given squash had been invited to the competition as a showcase sport, Haydon described the experience as amazing. And now she wants the “real deal” and the opportunity to fight for Olympic medals.
“It gave me a good taste and I want to play the real deal at the Olympics,” Haydon said. “There was no scoring and it was fun, but it would have been good to play for medals.”
Squash has been overlooked for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the sport will push for its inclusion at the 2024 Games in Paris.
Haydon, highly optimistic squash will get the green light and enable her to chase her dream of an Olympic medal, has dominated the national junior ranks to earn the honour of representing Australia in Buenos Aires.
The 17-year old Henley High student claimed her sixth successive national crown when she reigned supreme in the under 19 crown in Darwin just days before the Argentina competition.
“It was good to keep the streak going,” she said. “I felt good going into the tournament because I had played the other girls and knew what I had to do.”
Haydon’s confidence had been boosted by her selection in the national team for the women’s world teams championship in China in September when she won her only match against Finland.
The Canadian and US junior opens in December are her next missions as she continues to build an impressive resume.
“The best players in the world were in China so it was cool to see them up close,” Haydon said. “I’m having a break for a few weeks and then I’ll contest the Canada and US tournaments for the first time.”