A quick glance at the roster of the 2022 women’s College Squash Association national champions, the Harvard Crimson, will make one thing clear: Harvard is a trove for squash talent. Resumes include national championships, World Junior victories, Pan-American Games appearances, and more.
Delving deeper into the player biographies, one cannot help but ignore the outstanding representation of Egyptian athletes on the Crimson’s roster. Graduating seniors Hana Moataz and Amina Yousry, who have been foundational to Harvard’s success in the past four years, both hail from Cairo, Egypt. Fellow Cairo native Habiba Eldafrawy joined the pair this year as part of the 2021 rookie class.
The three played critical roles in the Crimson’s dominant campaign this past season, with Moataz leading the charge as co-captain and competing as the team’s number one. The veteran Yousry predominantly battled in position number three, though had some skirmishes at one and two. Eldafrawy dueled in the fourth position and even earned the green-light to play as high as the second position, an impressive feat as a first-year athlete. Through their contributions, the Egyptian stars have made themselves a core element of Harvard squash’s identity.
Egypt’s strength in the sport is not exclusive to college squash. The current world squash rankings in the men’s division features three Egyptians in the top five. The women’s podium in the Professional Squash Association world rankings is fully swept by Egyptian athletes. In the past decade, Egypt has established itself as the premier country for squash excellence, producing multiple top-ranked players in the professional league.
“I believe that having so many Egyptian players dominating the top of the world rankings makes the juniors believe that they also can make it to the top one day. I think that getting to watch the top players practicing in front of you inspires you to take the same route as them and excel in the sport just like they did,” Eldafrawy said of Egyptian success in squash. “It’s easier to make it to the top when you see someone living in the same environment as you making it to the top.”
The traditional route to the professional circuit for the top-ranked players in Egypt often bypasses college altogether in order to make time for the intensive training regime needed to perform at the highest level.
“The squash culture in Egypt is really different than in the US,” Eldafrawy said. “Back home, practice was a huge part of my day, even in the summer. I would have one-on-ones with my coach four out of five days a week on top of practice matches as well as fitness sessions. So I would say that college squash is way lighter in terms of practice. This is because college squash gives you the opportunity to play an individual sport in a team …….
Source: https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2022/5/25/commencement-2022-egyptian-squash/