This year’s iteration of the World Team Championships marked a milestone with the women’s and men’s events held concurrently for the first time. Competing at the world-class Hong Kong Football Club, and led by coaches Victoria Lust and Tyler Osborne, Canada’s athletes demonstrated their rightful place on the world stage with the women’s team achieving a 10th place finish and the men’s team securing 11th place, beating their seeding of 13/16.
The women’s team of Hollie Naughton, Nicole Bunyan, Nikole Todd and rookie Niki Shemirani, placed 2nd in their pool after decisive wins over Switzerland (3-0) and South Korea (3-0) and a competitive loss to England (0-3), with Naughton pushing Sarah-Jane Perry to 5 games and Todd extending Lucy Beecroft to 4. Advancing to the knockout phase, Canada faced a tough draw in #7 France where they battled hard but ultimately came up short (0-2). Undeterred, the team rebounded with a gutsy victory over Scotland (2-1), securing their place in the battle for 9th-10th position, where they lost (0-3) to an upstart Japanese team for a final finish of 10th place. Overall, it was a solid result for the Canadian squad, missing former world #18 Danielle Letourneau, who will be delivering her first child in January in the ever-deepening world women’s squash talent pool.
The men’s team opened their campaign with a strong 3-0 win over Nigeria and looked promising against #2 seed England when Salah Eltorgman recorded the upset of the tournament versus Nathan Lake (HWR #22) to tie the match at 1-1, before the squad finally succumbed to the perennial powerhouse English side. In the knockout phase, Canada faced top-seeded Egypt but was defeated 0-2 despite their determined effort. In the playoffs, the Canadian men upset higher seeded Pakistan with a 2-1 victory buoyed by #1 David Baillargeon’s 13-11 in the 5th victory over his counterpart. After a tough loss to Malaysia (1-2), the team finished their campaign with another upset victory over Spain (2-1), where veteran Graeme Schnell showed his trademark grit, winning the decider 11-7 in the 5. The Canadian Men’s side, which also included Connor Turk, exceeded expectations at the 2024 World Team championships and showed the future is bright with their top two players Baillargeon and Eltorgman entering their prime.
“Coach Osborne and I are proud of our athlete’s efforts throughout the grueling week of squash. It’s been a long 2024 for our players and despite battling a few injuries and incredibly deep draws, we fought hard and showed our mettle as a team and are beginning to build our Olympic culture. Now home for a rest as we take stock and gear up for 2025 on the PSA world tour and representing Canada.” – Vicky Lust, Coach
