World junior meet

By Raju Chainani

PENANG, JULY 12 The countdown to the World junior women's squash championships has begun. As the top guns find their way into this picturesque part of the Malaysia, it is worth reflecting on the happenings of the last decade. Malaysia was considered to be the minnows in the 1990s but as the new millennium dawned, it was all very different.

Ong Beng Hee won the World junior boy's crown at Princeton in 1998. Three years later, he is ranked at No.8. The 21 year-old from Subang Jaya has kept up a series of consistent performances which have helped his cause. Beng Hee trains at the Connaught Club in London and practices regularly the world champion Peter Nicol.

Nicol David had served notice at the 1997 World junior women's championships in Rio de Janeiro where she reached the quarterfinals. Two years later, at Antwerp, she defeated Leong Siu Lynn in an all-Malaysian affair. Nicol shall be on home turf next week where she aims to become the first player to retain this title.

She is ranked at 21 in the WISPA list, is the current Asian junior and senior champion and a gold medallist at the 1998 Asian Games.

So much for individual performances. This is the second time Malaysia is hosting the World junior women, the previous occasion being at Kuala Lumpur in 1993. Squash made a highly successful debut in the 1998 Commonwealth Games at Kuala Lumpur.

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Section  : Sport
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