PREMIER Caribbean men’s squash player, Chris Binnie has earned high marks from the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) for his professionalism and humility, among other things, as sports’ governing body here highlighted his ascent in the racquet sport’s global standings.

Binnie, the record-holder of nine Caribbean singles championship titles, improved his World Squash Federation rankings in singles to 76th in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic halted play on the Professional Squash Association circuit.

Binnie is also ranked 36th in doubles globally and 13th in the Americas region.

Commenting on his rise, Ryan Foster, chief executive officer/secretary general of sports’ apex sporting body, said: “The JOA is extremely proud of the recent rise in the world rankings of Chris Binnie.

His hard work is a testimony to dedication and perseverance and we want to also congratulate the Jamaica Squash Association for their diligence in ensuring the success of their constituent member.

“Chris is the epitome of a true professional. One of integrity, fair play and humility – all characters which represent Olympism. These traits led us to elect Chris to be the flag bearer for the recently held Pan Am Games in 2019. We will continue to strengthen our partnership with squash and all our member associations while we continue to lead the movement within our country,” added Foster.

The 31-year-old Jamaican’s improvement represented a major comeback, as Binnie played his way to a career-high world ranking of 65 in 2018 but fell to 88th in 2019 when he was beset by injuries.

Reflecting on the turnaround, Binnie said: “I was excited to start moving back up the rankings again. It [2019] was obviously a difficult year…I was plagued with injuries so my ranking definitely fell a bit. But last fall and early this spring, before the coronavirus set in, I was doing really well. I had won a couple events and I was moving back up the rankings, so I was very excited and looking forward to once the tour does start back, to get back out there and continue to do that.”

Prior to the shutdown Binnie was successful in winning the Life Time Atlanta Open in Sandy Springs in February and the Pittsburgh Challenger series in January.

In December also, he was a member of the Jamaica team that placed 18th at the World Team Squash Championships, and at the Pan Am Games in Lima, Peru in 2019 he partnered with Lewis Walters to make the quarter-finals.

Asked about the impact of the pandemic, Binnie said: “Yes, COVID-19 is a big setback, but it’s a big setback for everybody so I’ll try to use this time positively to help in other areas that I wouldn’t normally have time for, and then I can build on that and help with my success once I’m back in competition mode.”

The prospects of competition returning appear encouraging with the resumption – and approved dates for a restart – for a number of big competitions, primarily the German Bundesliga and other top European leagues including Spain’s La Liga and the United Kingdom’s English Premier League in football, as well as the United States’ National Basketball Association (NBA).

As he competes largely on the international PSA circuit, due to associated costs, Binnie was asked to comment on support provided by the JOA.

“The support from the JOA, obviously I’m incredibly grateful for it. Without them it’d be very difficult to do what I do. I’m just very thankful that they’ve been on board and they’ve been helping me over the years getting ready in these smaller competitions – Pan Am, CAC and Caribbeans – where I’ve been medalling, and also on the Pro Tour where they’ve continued to help with my development,” said Binnie.

“I can’t thank them enough, [their support] it’s been invaluable and I hope that they can continue to do that. They’re definitely branching out support in many different sports now, that’s fantastic to see. I’m happy that they’re continuing to stick with me, even in the ups and the downs. Last year was a tough year and now I’m back on track so hopefully things will continue to go well,” added Binnie.

Under the leadership of Christopher Samuda, its president, the JOA has ramped up its earning capacity in recent years, enabling their ability to contribute to its body of local sporting affiliates. Foster explained the nature of their support for squash.

“Some two years ago the JOA and the Jamaica Squash Association expanded their partnership to include the financial support to improve the sport within the country, as well as to increase the participation of their athletes in local and international competitions – and we have seen the successes of this during the Commonwealth Games, CAC Games and Pan Am Games,” Foster outlined.

“We also extended our support directly to Chris in his preparations leading up to tournaments, which has had obvious direct impact on his rise in the world rankings.”

As he continues to rise, Binnie is also looking at other horizons and primarily, the hope that his sport will soon make it to the Olympics.

“The Olympics is an interesting topic. There was a bid to get it into the 2020 Olympic Games and that unfortunately lost out…so it’s obviously looking for the next Games after that. So thankfully this [Tokyo 2020 postponement] doesn’t affect me as much and it’s more about focusing on the World Tour to get my ranking up so that later on when the Olympics do become an option I’ll be ready to perform.”