Women’s O45 top seed Lauren Kinsey-Briggs “cannot wait” to head to Amsterdam for the WSF World Masters and says age-group squash keeps her focused and connected to old friends.
Englishwoman Kinsey-Briggs is a former World No.18 on the old WISPA tour. After retiring in 2013, she won the World O35 title at Charlottesville, USA in 2018 and collected two European Masters, one British Open and six British Closed Masters titles.
The 45-year-old took a break from squash shortly after that World title in Charlottesville, but re-discovered the love for it after the pandemic when she moved to rural East Sussex. She now plays at Crowborough and Tunbridge Wells Squash Clubs and is relishing a return to Masters competition at the Frans Otten Stadium this week.
She said: “I look forward to playing and travelling to different places. I lived in Amsterdam towards the end of my professional career so I’m really looking forward to going back and being a bit of a tourist. Amsterdam is such a beautiful city and I am going to try and visit some of my old haunts.
“My best memory of this event is the Worlds in Charlottesville. The club was incredible as were the surroundings and getting to see some friends I hadn’t seen for the best part of 15 years really put the icing on the cake.”
Kinsey-Briggs’ main rival for the women’s O45 title is expected to be Singapore’s second seed Joannah Yue, but two South Africans, Karen Schultz and Samantha Herbert, will also fancy a say in who lifts the trophy (see full draw).
Kinsey-Briggs said: “I try not to focus too much on seedings and instead try to focus more on being in the best shape I can and being as strong as possible when I get to the event – and most importantly, enjoying the pursuit along the way.”
She added: “Playing Masters squash gives me a great focus. It gives me a purpose and reason to train and to challenge my body possibly more than I would if I wasn’t playing. I remind myself that it’s all for fun now though, and I really try to keep the fun and enjoyment of playing and training at centre of my focus.
“It also keeps me connected to some friends along the way and I look forward to knowing I will see familiar faces when I go to tournaments. It retains a connection to friends through something enjoyable.”
Kinsey-Briggs now works for UK Sport, the government investors in British Olympic and Paralympic athlete support programmes. She explained: “I work across coaching, athlete support and Elite Training Centre teams and am currently creating support programmes for athletes who are transitioning out of their sporting careers, understanding how to create thriving environments for coaches and athletes alike.
“It’s a fun job and the best part is that in four years we get to see squash in LA!”
This year’s WSF World Masters is being organised by the European Squash Federation.
Follow updates including seedings, draws, latest scores and live streaming at wsfworldmasters2024.nl
To find out more about the 2024 WSF World Masters Squash Championships, including merchandise, Nations Cup and functions, head to the official tournament website: wsfworldmasters2024.nl
Click here to contact the event organisers directly.
This year’s World Masters also sees the return of the Masters Nations Cup, a popular team event that runs within the main competition. Find out more about the Masters Nations Cup here.
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