Squash junior earns 9th-place finish at 2024 Junior Championships in Italy

By JAMIE HARO
PAPUA New Guinea junior squash player Timonaliz Alarcos-Kriebisch earned a ninth-place finish after competing at the 2024 Italian Junior Championships in Riccione, Italy, over the weekend.
Experiencing Europe for the first time 12-year-old Alarcos-Kriebisch and her brother Ethan, 10, encountered tough competition from other countries in the girls and boys Under-13 divisions.
Papua New Guinea Squash and Racquets Federation president Lady Anna Togolo said despite the results they were grateful that the pair garnered valuable experience and exposure at an international competition which would aid their development as squash players.
“We extend our appreciation to the Daisy Hill Squash club, Port Moresby Racquets Club and Kumul Petroleum Holdings Limited for their continued support towards this experience for both Timona and Ethan,” he said.
“These development opportunities for our squash juniors are important as we build towards a team for Tahiti 2027 Pacific Games,” Togolo said. More than 250 juniors from around the world competed at the European Squash-sanctioned event where 35 countries including PNG were represented.
Alarcos-Kriebisch fell short in the knockouts after playing one of England’s best in the age group, Nadiya Ismale. She did defeat players from USA, Romania and Slovakia.
Bother Ethan on the other hand had to play a qualifier to make the U13 boys main draw competing against juniors from Romania, England, Ukraine and Czech Republic and finished 21st on the standings.
Meanwhile, Alarcos-Kriebisch is now training for the Portugal Junior Open set to take place this Friday while Ethan heads to his soccer camp. Both juniors will return to Brisbane (Australia) and continue training at the Daisy Hill Club next month.