Kyalami has a squash champion
KYALAMI - Trevor Wilkinson successfully defended his gold medal in squash at the World Masters Games in Italy.
Wilkinson said, “As the World Games are only held every four years, it is quite an achievement to still be injury free and competing at that level.” The previous games were played in 2009 in Sydney.
The final saw Wilkinson face-off against another South African, John van Heeswyk to clinch the win. “It was great to have an all South African final,” said Wilkinson. He thought the semi-final match against Richard Mill, the current United States champion, was tougher than the final. Wilkinson said he was pleased that less matches were played this year than at the previous games and said he settled into Italy easier than Sydney, without the jet-lag and time-differences.
“I played well and the hot, humid and bouncy conditions suited me but winning this gold was easier than in Sydney in 2009 because of the smaller draw. Hey, but a gold medal is a gold medal so I will take it.”
While Wilkinson will only seriously consider defending his title for a third time in three years time, he will keep up his training for local tournaments with his eye on July next year for the World Masters Squash Championships in Hong Kong.
His wife and three daughters are at the top of his list of people to thank. “They carry my chores while I am away and I appreciate that so much. Thank you, my girls. I also have a couple of personal sponsors. A huge thank you to them for their support.”
