Azlan backs promising squash youngsters to deliver in Thailand

PETALING JAYA: Former national squash player Azlan Iskandar has backed the sport to deliver at least two gold medals for Malaysia in the SEA Games in Thailand from Dec 9-20.

Malaysia will not be sending top stars like S. Sivasangari, Rachel Arnold and Ng Eain Yow but Azlan is still confident of a good outing.

Squash will be contested in the biennial Games for the first time since the 2019 edition in the Philippines. The squash competition will be held from Dec 14-19.

“Over the year, we usually send our B team for the SEA Games and the players usually deliver,” said Azlan.

“We have a good crop of players coming through. We will definitely get a couple of golds.”

Promising youngsters Duncan Lee, Sanjay Jeeva, Noor Ainaa Amani Ampandi, Low Wa Sern and K. Sehveetrraa are among the players selected for the Games this time.

Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia coaching director Andrew Cross has urged the players to keep their focus as they aim for a strong outing.

“The players are aware of what they want to achieve. They need to maintain their focus and continue to work hard over the next few weeks to achieve what they have set for themselves,” said Cross.

“Having a smooth run in towards the games is key.”

Meanwhile, Azlan has praised Malaysia’s efforts in developing young talent in the sport.

“We invest a lot in our back-up and junior players. We don’t just rely fully on our top stars but have a very good succession plan,” said Azlan.

“The youngsters are going to come through later and when the age generation moves, the next batch comes through.

“When I was playing, there were only about 20 good kids, so we had to put all our eggs in one basket but now there are 80 talented players. So, we can choose the cream of the crop.

“We have also had really good sponsors over the years like CIMB, who have invested in our national junior circuits,” added Azlan.