Lyon chases back-to-back titles at the Australian Junior Championships

Remember the name Maddy Lyon, the 16-year-old rising star from Brisbane who is preparing to defend her Australian Junior Championship (AJC) title in December. 

Lyons started playing Squash when she was six years old, after spending afternoons at the courts with her dad and sister, and quickly grew to love the sport. After having very few opportunities to participate in major junior tournaments this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lyons said that preparing for AJC has kept her focused and on track with her training. 

“Winning the under 19’s age group at the 2021 AJC is definitely a goal I’m working towards,” she said. 

The ambitious Queenslander could still enter the under-17’s event, but decided to compete again in the older age group, having already topped the under-19 class in 2020.

“I wanted to challenge myself and I feel confident enough in my ability to compete against the top-ranked girls in the under-19’s.” she said. 

Lyon added that having incredible international and local female squash players to look up to has helped her chase her squash dreams. One of her idols is current World no. 5 Hania El Hammamy of Egypt, who last year won the 2020 CIB Black Ball Women’s Squash Open at the age of 19.

“She’s always so aggressive and attacking in her style of squash and that’s something I really strive for,” Lyon said.

Lyon also has Australian role models she looks up to, and she is lucky enough to have national players of the caliber of Jess Turnbull and Tamika Hunt at her local club. 

“Both have achieved so many amazing things that I hope for myself and both of them have offered so much valuable advice through the challenging times of the last year,” she said. 

Lyon added that she wants to take every opportunity to represent Australia in the future. For now, you will be able to catch her in action in Canberra on 13-19 December as she defends her 2020 Under 19’s Australian Junior Champion title.