KUALA LUMPUR: National squash champion Aira Azman is on the right track for an Olympic medal in the Fast Track programme.
Early this month, Aira was selected for the Fast Track programme, announced by the Sports Ministry, with the mission of developing talented athletes between the ages of 16 and 25 to fight for gold at the 2028 Olympics.
In this week's Australian Open, the 19-year-old Kedah-born Aira showed her potential.
Aira, ranked 44th in the world, battled her way into the quarter-finals before she was stopped by world No. 11 and top seed Salma Hany of Egypt 11-8, 11-5, 11-6 on Friday.
National chief coach Ajaz Azmat said Aira has shown progress in a top-tier PSA competition.
"This is a good start for her and she is on the right track in the Olympic programme."
The Pakistani coach said Aira's world ranking is expected to move up by a few rungs following her outing in the Australian Open.
"I hope she will continue to play well in PSA tournaments and break into the world's top 35 by the end of this year," said Ajaz.
Aira's next tournament will be the El Gouna International in Egypt from April 19-26 followed by the World Championships in Cairo from May 9-17.
