Vincentian Jayden George has made national sporting history, becoming the first-ever squash player from St. Vincent and the Grenadines to appear in the sport’s junior world championships.
The world championships cater to squash players aged under 19 and are overseen by World Squash, the IOC-recognised International Federation for squash. Squash will make its Olympic debut at the LA28 Olympic Games.
“Representing St. Vincent at an event of this magnitude is truly an honour,” George said.
“It’s a really big deal for me, coming from a small island in the Caribbean. I’m the first player from St. Vincent to come here and represent St. Vincent and it’s truly amazing, getting to play with all these players from around the world.”
He said there is “serious talent” at the event and his participation is “really amazing and a life-changing opportunity”.
“It’s so hard to describe what I’m feeling. I’m ecstatic to be here, being around players like [men’s tournament top seed and defending champion] Mohamad Zakaria who’s No.7 in the world [on the pro tour] and looking at the way he and other players like Anahat [Singh, women’s top seed] hit the ball, it’s seriously crazy.”
George is in his 11th year in squash, having started when he was 6.
“I was at home and my mother had been trying to find a sport for me. I started with football, tennis, swimming and squash and over time I gravitated to squash. I’ve been training every day — except Sundays, of course.
“The days and hours and dedication it took to get here were really a lot,” George said.
“Hopefully this creates more awareness of the sport in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The main goal is to get funding and popularise squash in St. Vincent and open the country’s eyes to the sport.”
George said he dreams of playing at the professional tour one day.
“Recently, squash has become a lot more popular because my sister started vlogging, which brought a lot more attention to the sport, and now me getting to be here is seriously creating some traction back home,” he said.