Naperville sisters Sasha and Sameera “Sammie” Rai both walked away with gold this June at the 2026 USA Racquetball National Junior Championships in Des Moines, Iowa.
Racking up the racquetball medals
8-year-old Sasha earned gold in the 8U Girls Singles, silver in the 10U Girls Double Bounce, and bronze in the 10U Girls Doubles. She was also crowned the national champion in the 8-and-under girls’ singles competition.
Her 11-year-old sister Sammie also saw success in Des Moines, taking gold in three different divisions: 10U Girls Singles, 10U Mixed Doubles, and 10U Girls Doubles.
Next up for Sammie: 2026 Team USA Junior National Team
Thanks to her triple-gold performance, for the fourth time, Sammie qualified to be part of the 2026 Team USA Junior National Team.
She’s among 34 athletes from eight different states to make it to the team.
U.S. Junior Team Coach Director Jen Meyer said in a press release from USA Racquetball that she’s excited for Sammie to join the national team.
“I’m so happy to have Sammie on the U.S. Junior Team,” Meyer said. “All of the assistant coaches and I will be excited to support Sammie and her fellow team members as they compete in matches vs. junior athletes from 15 other countries. GO TEAM USA!”
Sammie and Team USA will be heading to the IRF World Junior Racquetball Championships later this year.
A sport that runs in the family
The two sisters were introduced to the game by their father, Sathwik, a former Team India amateur silver medalist.
Sammie will be a sixth grader at Gregory Middle School, and Sasha will be a 3rd grader at Patterson Elementary School this August.
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