Australian Olympic hopefuls: 15 teenage rising stars of squash aiming for LA, Brisbane 2032
Squash debuts at the 2028 LA Olympics and some of these teens are front and centre to be representing their country there or potentially at Brisbane 2032. Meet squash's rising stars. LIST
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It’s one of five new sports on the LA Olympic Games program and potentially at the 2032 Brisbane Games and these NSW youngsters are front and centre to be pulling on a green and gold jersey for their country.
Squash joins cricket, baseball/softball, flag football and lacrosse as sports added onto the program for 2028 and it’s got a new generation of youngsters excited about a brand new pathway in the game.
Invented in England in the early 19th century, squash will finally make it to the Olympic arena after four unsuccessful bids and is also pushing to be added to the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane.
Australia has a storeyed history in the game with the likes of Heather McKay, Geoff Hunt, Rachael Grinham, Michelle Martin, Rodney Martin, Sarah Fitz-Gerald, Cam Nancarrow, Vicki Cardwell, David Palmer, Ken Hiscoe, Liz Irving and Chris Dittmar world renown players of the past.
Today, with the help of Squash Australia and high performance director Lachlan Johnstone, we look at some of the youngsters from NSW hoping to make the world stage themselves - and upcoming Olympic Games.
And there’s plenty of family ties with twins, three siblings and a brother and sister act among our young guns.
KASPER CHEUNG, CASTLE HILL, THORNLEIGH CLUB
Kasper Cheung has already show top form in the sport and last year was the U15 Australian champion. he also won the state title in his age.
He also reached the semi-finals of the Australian Junior Open in another rousing performance.
A member of the Salming Next Gen Squad he was also runner-up at the 2022 Oceania Junior Squash championships.
HENRY KROSS, PARKES, PARKES SQUAD CLUB
Henry Kross was part of the Australian team which played in the 2023 trans-Tasman series against New Zealand.
He also played at the 2022 U13 Oceania Junior Championship where he won the under 15s title.
Hailing from the central west of NSW, Henry was also runner-up at both the NSW and Victorian state championships.
EMMY AND KEN LAMB FROM THE WILLOUGHBY CLUB
Siblings Ken and Emmy Lamb are chasing success together.
Ken, from Sydney’s northern suburbs, is currently in Queensland for university and to train under former world No. 4 Stewart Boswell.
In a busy 2023 he represented Australia at the World junior championships and trans-Tasman Series.
Emmy is rising through the squash ranks thanks to some top performances.
She ended 2023 as the U17 runner-up at the Oceania junior championships and also impressed with her semi-final finish at the Australian junior open and Australian junior championships before joining her brother on the trans-Tasman team.
MADISON NARGAR, COFFS HARBOUR, COFFS HARBOUR SQUASH CLUB
Madison was U15 runner-up at the NSW junior championships last year.
She also finished with a silver medal at the U13 Australian junior open.
She is a member of the Salming Next Gen squad and was also a semi-finalist at the 2022 Australian junior championships.
EMILIA AND THOMAS SCOTT, THORNLEIGH, BEECROFT CLUB
When the Scott family relocated from England five years ago, NSW and Australian junior squash won big.
Thomas last year competed at the world junior championships in Melbourne.
A year earlier he won the U17 Australian junior open and he is the reigning U19 state champion.
Emilia is an under 15s player who finished fourth at the 2023 Oceania junior championships.
A year earlier she was runner-up in the U13s.
In 2023, shine finished third at the Australian and NSW championships.
Thomas is a member of the national junior talent squad and Emilia is a member of the Salming Next Gen Squad.
JAMES AND WILLIAM SLADE, THORNLEIGH CLUB
Twins James and William Slade have been trading blows on the court their entire squad life.
William made the Australian team for the 2023 trans-Tasman series against New Zealand and was runner-up in the NSW junior championships.
James was an U17 semi-finalist at the 2022 Oceania Junior Championships and was the 2022 U17 NSW champion.
In this last event he beat his brother in an intense five-game battle which lasted more than an hour.
The pair also played out a five-game thriller in the fifth-place playoff at the 2023 Oceania championships in December, with William claiming this win.
MARCUS, THOMAS AND ELIZABETH WANG, FROM MIDDLE DURAL AND SYDNEY CBD CLUB
Marcus, Thomas and Elizabeth are ones to watch in squads.
The trio impressed at the 2023 Australian Junior Open where Elizabeth won the U11 girls, Thomas was second in the U13 boys and Marcus was fourth in the U15 boys.
Thomas and Marcus then went on to win silver at the Australian junior championships later in the year.
Thomas also won the Oceania junior championships with all three part of the Salming Next Gen Squad.
MAEGHAN WANG, EPPING, THORNLEIGH CLUB
Not part of the Wang Gang.
Maeghan Wang is carving out her own impressive junior resume and is part of the Salming Next Gen Squad.
She had a great rivalry with Emilia Scott in 2023 with the pair meeting three times in either the semi-finals or bronze medal matches at major tournaments.
Every one of these matched went the full five games.
KIERAN WILLATHGAMUWA FROM NORTHMEAD
Kieran is a member of the Salming Next Gen Squad as also earmarked as a star of the future. He started his 2023 campaign as Australia’s best-performing U13 boy at the prestigious British Junior Open.
He then went on to claim the 2023 U15 ACT junior championship and featured prominently in tournaments around the country.
JACKSON WYLIE, ELANORA, MONA VALE CLUB
Jackson Wylie won both NSW and ACT U17 Junior state championships in 2023.
He was also runner-up at the Australian junior championship and represented Australia in the trans-Tasman series in New Zealand.
He followed this up with a bronze at the Oceania Junior Championships.
Read more from AMANDA LULHAM HERE
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