Squash players swing into action at Pan-Am Games today

Guyana will begin its campaign at the 18^th edition of the Pan-American Games in Lima, Peru, on Thursday with squash players Ashley Khalil and Mary Fung- A-Fat featuring in the Singles.

Fung-A-Fat plays Chilean María Arias Pinto from 09:00h, while Khalil clashes with another Chilean, Giselle Castillo, at the said time. The Doubles, which will be Khalil and Taylor Fernandes, will commence on Friday with Guyana playing Chile.

It is understood there are only eight Women’s Doubles team, which means if Guyana wins the first match the country would be guaranteed at least a bronze medal. The team segment starts on Sunday.

Head Coach Ramon Chan-A-Sue said preparations are going according to plan, albeit in cold weather.

“Our athletes are obviously accustomed to humid conditions, but Mary was in England training and she resides in the United States, so she is accustomed to this. The girls have adjusted to the courts much quicker than I thought. We are using a 17-inch tin for the singles which is a lot different than what we have in Guyana, so that is more of a challenge than the actual temperature.”

Fernandes and Khalil won bronze at the Central American and Caribbean Games in Colombia last year which qualified them for them Pan-Am Games. Chan-A-Sue believes they have a good draw against Chile and both players have the mettle to progress from the quarter-finals.

Rugby, Table Tennis, Swimming, Taekwondo, Badminton, Boxing and Track and Field are the other disciplines Guyana is being represented in.

The Games, which started in 1951, are held every four years. Guyana has competed in 15 editions of the Games, securing eighteen medals: two Gold, four Silver and 12 Bronze.

However, Guyana has not medalled at the Games since 2011, when it was held in Guadalajara, Mexico.