Naperville Fifth Grader at Patterson Elementary School, Sameera Rai, traveled to the Dominican Republic this December to compete for Team USA in the World Championships in Junior Racquetball. Sameera, or “Sammie,” contributed key points which propelled Team USA Junior racquetball to an overall finish of Third Place, behind Bolivia in first place and Mexico in second.
Photo courtesy: Ellen Williams – USA Racquetball
Naperville Fifth Grader and racquetball champion competes in the Dominican Republic
Sammie plays in both the doubles and singles competitions and is also the youngest member of Team USA Junior Racquetball. Despite that, this is her third World Championship competition with the team. At the age of eight, she played in Bolivia, and at age nine, she won a bronze medal for Team USA in Guatemala City in the girls under-10 doubles.
In this year’s championships, Sammie and her doubles partner, Sloka Marivada, won a bronze medal in the Under 10 Girls Doubles after making the playoffs round.
When it came time for the Singles competition, Sammie finished in the Top 8 in Girls Under 10 singles main draw, receiving a bye in the first round. Rai advanced all the way to the quarterfinals, where the number two-seeded player, Jocelyn Dominguez of Mexico, claimed victory. Rai had a fierce showdown in the contention for the Gold Medal Round in the Blue Division Singles, but lost a nail-biting tie breaker match with a final score of 12-10 to Ecuadorian player Ariana Lopez.
Sammie Rai earns multiple bronze medals in a stellar showing
With these stellar showings in the World Championships of Team USA Junior Racquetball, Sammie Rai earned a bronze medal in the Blue Division of Girls Under 10 singles and a bronze medal in Girls Under 10 Doubles. She proudly stood at the podium to be awarded her medals, with her father, Sathwik Rai, a former Team India Racquetball player, cheering her on.
Sammie Rai returns home for the holiday season with her championship medals, ready to share with her family and friends at Patterson Elementary and beyond.
Congratulations Sammie!
Photo courtesy: Ellen Williams – USA Racquetball
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