Canada’s junior squash athletes have delivered a historic performance at the 2026 Pan American Junior Championships in San Salvador, El Salvador, capturing the most medals in Canadian history for this tournament. 

From June 28 to July 4, Canada competed against nations from across the Americas and came away with seven medals: one gold, three silver, and three bronze. The result surpasses a 16-year-old record set by the 2010 team of Jennifer Pelletier, Alix Younger, Hollie Naughton, Joshua Sehkar, Tyler Olson, and Zachary Leman, who earned five medals (one gold, one silver, and three bronze), also in San Salvador. 

Seeded second, the women’s team (Gladys Ho, Hasti Shemirani, Olivia Bolger, and Veera Dhaliwal) began with a testing 2 – 1 victory over Ecuador to advance to the semifinals. After a successful semifinal against Colombia (2 – 1), Canada moved on to face the United States in the gold medal match, battling to the very end before falling 2 – 1 in a hard-fought tie to take home silver. 

On the men’s side, Calder Murray, Daniel Wang, Jack Chen and Navin Kerr had a strong start, picking up a solid win over Mexico (2 – 0). In the semis’, the team came up short against a tough Peruvian squad (0 – 2), earning a bronze medal. 

In the individual draws, first-time Pan American team members Gladys Ho, Hasti Shemirani, and Olivia Bolger each reached the podium. Gladys and Olivia battled through to the semifinals of their respective draws, each earning a bronze medal. Hasti upset the top seed of the companion draw in her semifinal before falling in the final, claiming silver. On the men’s side, Calder Murray outperformed his 3/4 seeding, fighting his way through the main draw to reach the final, where he ultimately fell just short in a four-game battle to finish with silver.  

Veera Dhaliwal, Daniel Wang, Jack Chen, and Navin Kerr all competed hard but bowed out in the early rounds. 

In the doubles draw, the unseeded pairing of Gladys and Calder made a statement by downing the top seeds on their way to a maiden Mixed Doubles final, where they defeated their Colombian opponents in straight games to capture gold. 

Behind the scenes, the team was guided by experienced coaches Giselle Delgado and Oliver Pett, whose leadership made a meaningful impact both on and off the court. Squash Canada congratulates all athletes and coaches on their performances and for proudly representing the Maple Leaf on the Pan American stage. 

Click Here for Individual/Doubles Results & Team Results