BIRMINGHAM, England — Squash standout Chris Binnie is getting ready to compete at his fourth Commonwealth Games and says he is looking forward to building on his previous experiences at the event when the competition gets going at the University of Birmingham Hockey and Squash Centre.

Binnie is hoping that his previous experience competing at the games and while on tour with some of the world’s best players will help him reach his targets, and he shared that he is looking forward to again testing himself on the big stage.

“I’m pretty excited. This is my fourth Commonwealth Games so I’m looking forward to competing again. At the last games it was relatively successful, and I was able to take out a top seed and I progressed to the farthest any squash player had done in the event, so I’m just looking forward to trying and building on that. I mean, I’m in a good state, a good position, and hopefully have a good draw that I can take advantage of, so I am excited,” Binnie told the Jamaica Observer.

The 33-year-old believes he has grown significantly since his Commonwealth Games debut in Delhi, India in 2010 — even though he admitted that the novel coronavirus pandemic significantly affected his development.

“The Jamaica Olympic Association has done great things for me and my coaching team in the US as well so my game has definitely grown a lot. I think over the last couple of years since COVID-19, unfortunately, it hasn’t blossomed as much as I was hoping for, but that’s the reality of it. But, I’m looking back from a high level. I must have some perspective and clarity; and I think I’ve done a lot of great things and hopefully, I can keep squeezing out a few more before the day’s end,” he stated.

“Having all this experience, I think it helps calm the nerves a bit because you know what you’re expecting. And then again, playing on the tour as well, you know a lot of these guys and you know the type of game you have to play against certain people,” Binnie reasoned.

“So you’re just in a more comfortable situation and you can just focus on competing and playing, rather than the other external things,” he explained.

While it would be a major surprise for the world’s 125th-ranked player, Binnie says he dreams of securing a spot on the podium, even as he understands the challenge ahead.

“I mean, you always have to have a medal in mind. It’s a lot of rounds, other people will be playing, there are a lot of different game styles, so I mean, I’m just going to take each match one day at a time and, hopefully, if I win enough of them I’ll be in a position to get a medal,” Binnie opined.

“It’s a long shot but I mean, crazy things have happened,” he said.

Competition in the men’s preliminary round of 64 will get underway on Friday at 6:00 am Jamaica time.

— Andre Lowe