REIGNING All-Jamaica and Caribbean Senior Men’s champion Chris Binnie will be Jamaica’s sole representative in squash at the 16th Pan American Games which kicked off on Friday and ends on October 30 in Guadalajara, Mexico.

The men’s competition is being contested by 35 of the best players in the Americas. Binnie was awarded a wild card entry after earning a bronze medal at last year’s CAC Games in Bogota, Colombia.

Binnie and the reigning Caribbean women’s champion, Nicolette Fernandes of Guyana, and Shawn Simpson of Barbados, were the only Caribbean nationals to qualify for the elite competition.

In Guadalajara, Binnie will face off against top players from the US, Canada, Brazil and Mexico. The 21-year-old says although the competition will be tough, he is eager to match skills with some of the world’s best.

“I’m looking forward to the experience of playing in the Pan American Games. This will be my first time playing in the games and I hope to have some good performances.

“The tournament will include some of the best players in the world, so I’m looking forward to the competition and hope to gain a lot from it,” Binnie said.

A strong performance at the Pan Am Games would be another milestone in what has been a stellar year for the young Jamaican.

In July, he won the All Jamaica Senior Men’s Championship for the second time and followed that up by taking the Caribbean Senior Men’s title in August.

Earlier this year, he was a part of the winning team at Trinity College which claimed the US National College Championship for a 13th consecutive year.

In addition, Binnie was named Most Valuable Player by Trinity and was also listed among the All-American College Squash Players and the All-Academic American College Players for 2010/2011.

Twelve-time All-Jamaica women’s champion, Karen Anderson, is also at the PanAm Games in Guadalajara to serve as a referee.

Veteran player Douglas Beckford, who recently took the Over 60 Men’s title at the 2011 Caribbean Area Squash Associations’ Senior Championships, is in Guadalajara as a technical delegate.

The squash competition at the Pan American Games started yesterday and will end on the 22nd.