Aussie star on the rise: Meet Maja Maziuk

Remember the name Maja Maziuk, a 14 year old rising star from Sydney NSW who is preparing to defend her Australian Junior Championships title in September.

Maja comes from a squash family, her parents met on the Squash court and would take her to Squash everyday from a young age. Maja started training when she was eight years old, but it wasn’t always smooth sailing.

“It was really frustrating at the start because I had this one friend and she would always beat me,” Maja said. 

“ I realised that I could be someone if I work hard and train hard and not get frustrated all the time.”

Maja has set herself clear long and short term goals, with the determination to represent Australia behind everything she does as well as getting a good education.

“If I keep training and working hard I think I could make the Commonwealth Games,” she said. 

“I want to get into the Commonwealth team in four years, be on the World team and get a scholarship to college, they are just my long term goals.” 

Squash isn’t the only thing that Maja dreams about, when she grows up she wants to work in the medical industry. It is her squash idols that inspire her to pursue her education as well as squash.

“I like [Ali] Farag, there are a lot of people I like because they have had a good education, it hasn’t only been about squash” she said. 

“[Raneem] El Welily has had a really good education and pursued her passion of playing squash.” 

Every competition is a further opportunity for Maja to learn as she finds playing new people shows her where she has improved and how to improve further. 

“I like playing different people, meeting new people and comparing myself to them I guess and learning what I can work on more in training,” she said. 

Maja will be among 150 competitors expected to line up at the Australian Junior Championships title in September in Canberra. 

Photos: Craig Stewart - Seize the Light Photography.