Amirah’s American dream on hold – but not her training

Aspiring squash player Amirah Rusydina Rosli was all excited to begin a new journey at the Suffield Academy in Connecticut, the United States, this year before the Covid-19 disrupted her plans.

Amirah was supposed to leave in September but the US is not issuing visas for the time being due to the pandemic.

More than 2.5 million people are infected by the virus in the US with more than 128,000 deaths.

Without the visa, she is unable to pursue her squash and education careers in the US.

Amirah, who turned professional in 2016, said her trip was fully sponsored by the Suffield Academy. She is scheduled for her pre-university studies for one year before embarking on her degree programme.

“It’s unfortunate that I could not get the US visa due to the pandemic but I’ll begin the online class as scheduled in September,” said the world No. 162.

“When the situation is better, I’ll apply for the visa again and hopefully, I can be there in January.”

While waiting for some good news, she will continue with her training programme at the National Squash Centre in Bukit Jalil.

“My contract with the National Sports Council was extended to another year ... so, that’s good,” said Amirah, who finished as the runner-up in the girls’ Under-19 of the National Junior Championships in Bukit Jalil in February.

“I’m not eligible for junior tournaments after August this year, so I will focus on the PSA tournaments this year,” said Amirah, who will turn 19 in August.

She only played three PSA tournaments last year because of her Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examinations last November.