The news that squash will join the racquet sports of tennis and badminton at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 has left Cayman’s players ‘excited’ for the opportunity.
Top players Cameron Stafford and Julian Jervis, part of a Cayman Islands squash community which has been on a roll as of late in international competition, are now sizing up their Olympic chances.
Stafford, 32, told the Compass that though his time in the sport is running out, he will train for the LA Games in the hopes of becoming the second Olympian in his family.
“My dad is an Olympian, so it would be just like a repeat in the family and I’m happy about that,” Stafford said. His father, John Stafford, represented Cayman at the 1996 Games in the dinghy sailing event.
If Cameron Stafford is to make the team for 2028, he is hoping to do so with his doubles partner, Jervis.
“I think we are all looking forward and excited,” Stafford said.
Jervis noted a pairing with Stafford, who he considers a great friend, might be the recipe for success against the best at the Olympics.
“I say it all the time … I have a cheat code on the court with me when I play doubles with [Cameron],” he said, adding the sky is the limit for what they could achieve together.
They have been unbeatable within the Caribbean over the last two years and further cemented their dominance earlier this month when they defended their men’s doubles’ title at the Caribbean Squash Association Senior Championship.
Jervis and Stafford were Cayman’s first squash players to secure medals at the Commonwealth Games, and will be looking to make history again by earning a spot in the Olympics.
“It’s hard to feel like we don’t have a chance when Cameron can do what he can do on the court,” Jervis added.
With an Olympic qualification in mind, he is pivoting to international training camps to better prepare him for the possibility of LA28.
“Egypt as of right now is definitely at the forefront for the squash community. Every world junior championship is won by an Egyptian. They just have a really good system going right now,” Jervis said, noting that he will be competing against Egyptian players to further enhance his skills on the court.
“I went [to Egypt] two years ago, just to get an idea what their training is like, and they just take it so seriously … and going back there will [bring] nothing but goodness for me and for Cayman.”
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Although squash has long been recognised as an international sport, it has taken for ever to be accepted as an Olympic sport. How skateboarding and break dancing can be included in preference to squash is beyond me, but at long last our top rated Caribbean players can finally represent us in Los Angeles.