On the Up: Teen squash star Yusra Rashid aiming high after national success

Her breakthrough run began with victory at the B Grade National Championships in Tauranga, before she backed it up by claiming the North Island Junior Championships in Hawke’s Bay and the South Island Junior Championships in Nelson.

“It was honestly very good because before those three weeks, I put in a lot of effort,” Rashid said.

“I knew there was no recovery time after those tournaments, so I had to really put in the effort, work on my game plan, strengthening, cardio, all that kind of stuff.

“It also showed that all the hours I spent on court were really worth it.”

Rashid described the B Grade National Championship as her toughest challenge, coming up against older and more experienced opponents, many of whom had been playing the sport longer than she’s been alive.

Part of what drives her is the constant opportunity to test herself against stronger competition.

“I love the challenge because oftentimes the girls that I’m versing in the under-19 grade are the girls who I looked up to when I was only 11 years old and I was really wanting to be exactly like them,” she said.

“The feeling of beating them or being in their division is just a really great feeling.”

Rashid first picked up a squash racquet four years ago after watching her father and older brother play.

Before that, she competed in swimming, hockey and football, but it didn’t take long for her talent to shine through, winning her first national title at just 11 years old.

Since then, she has amassed an impressive record, collecting 26 national medals, including 20 championship titles, along with three silver and three bronze medals.

She has represented Auckland for four consecutive years, competed internationally for New Zealand, been part of the national development programme and featured in the transtasman series against Australia. Rashid has also drawn inspiration from New Zealand squash star Paul Coll, whom she recently met in Tauranga.

“It was really great to meet him because he’s very nice,” she said.

“I’ve taken a lot of inspiration from watching him play.”

Her next major target is October’s Junior National Championships, where she hopes to improve on last year’s runner-up finish before turning her attention to a growing international schedule.

“I’d definitely like to go to more international tournaments like the US Junior Open, Canadian tournaments and the British Junior Open,” Rashid said.

“And in the future I’d really like to represent New Zealand at the 2028 Olympics.”

Away from squash, Rashid excels academically, particularly in maths and science, and has aspirations beyond sport. She has already been accepted into Air Cadets and Young Eagles as she explores a future in aviation.

For now, though, her focus remains firmly on the squash court, where a remarkable three-week title-winning streak has reinforced her belief that even bigger achievements lie ahead.

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