EVERY MONTH, A YOUNG MARY PETERS TRUST ATHLETE SPELLS OUT HOW THE CHARITY IS AIDING THE PURSUIT OF THEIR SPORTING DREAMS
Athlete: Shriya Drawid
Sport: Squash
BELFAST Boat Club squash player Shriya Drawid took up the sport when she was eight and it was her older brother Rohan who first inspired her.
“Along with mum and dad, I was always around squash and squash players, watching Rohan compete and experiencing the vibe. I just loved it and wanted to be part of that world,” Shriya relates.
“I joined the junior section of Belfast Boat Club, then took private lessons and trained very hard. By age 10 I was playing in U13 as well as U11 tournaments and at that stage I realised I was good at squash. It gave me the impetus to really push forward.”
The Methodist College, Belfast student has finished Year 1 of her GCSE studies and became a Mary Peters Trust athlete in Spring 2022. Shriya has met Lady Mary on several occasions, including at the Trust’s Athletes Academies held each year and bringing together young sports people from across Northern Ireland to officially celebrate their funding awards.
“It’s wonderful knowing that the Mary Peters Trust believes in me and provides support. It’s also lovely to meet some of the other athletes at MPT ‘Academy’ events,” Sariya says.
“One of my fellow MPT athletes is the hockey player Erin Pim who is in the year above me at school. Methody is very supportive of its athletes. They share our successes on school social media and the website. I’m also very grateful to school as it allows me to work round tournaments and teachers help me keep up with my academic studies and exams so that I’m not missing out.
“I love the way Mary informally chats to her Trust athletes and gives us great advice on how to manage our sporting development and careers. She’s been through all the ups, downs and ultimate successes in sport and has achieved her Olympic dream.”
Now with all eyes now on the Paris Olympics, Shriya was delighted with the news last year that squash will be one of five new sports featuring in the 2028 LA Olympics.
In 2028 Shriya will be 20 and when Brisbane 2032 comes around Shriya will be almost 24 so big goals can be achieved.
“It’s amazing that squash is now an Olympic sport after so many attempts by the World Squash Federation,” says Shriya, “To compete in an Olympic arena would be my ultimate dream. I know I can push through barriers and even though I’ve had downs as well as ups, the highs are just so high that all the hard work and training is totally worth it.”
Shriya with Belfast Boat Club coach Josh McVeigh
