The Preston-born Laura Massaro, 31, is hoping to defend her World Championship gold in Cairo this week and win her third world title this year. Massaro won this year's delayed 2013 World Championship in March and was instrumental in the English women's team victory in Canada, earlier this month, where England defeated the first time finalist Malaysia 2/1.
The defense of Massaro's individual title will begin today, as the 2014 World Championship kicks off in Cairo; she will play Egypt's 18 year old Mariam Matwally in the First round. Massaro is also the English team captain; the English are represented in Egypt by 7 players, five of which are within the top 16 seeds; they will face a fearsome completion by the host team, represented by 11 players, four of which are within the top 16 seeds.
Massaro's first title this year was her win in the delayed 2013 World Championship in Penang, Malaysia; she put some dramatic fights during this tour. With her second title won in Canada earlier in December at the Women's World Team Squash Championship, there is a possibility that she would get the triple crown on Saturday in Cairo, which a few achieved in a history of this highly energetic racquet sport that requires outstanding levels of fitness.
The athlete is on the board of the Women's Squash Association where she promotes the women's side of the sport and raises its profile.
It is known that the women's squash has been struggling financially for some time, which resulted in inability to timely organize the 2013 World Championship.
To overcome the problems, a proposed way forward was announced in October of this year; from the start of 2015 women's and men's games will be merged into the same tour. Massaro is happy that the two games are combined together and hopes that this combined approach would provide better opportunities to both sides. What is also important for Massaro is that this combined approach is likely to be favoured by the International Olympic Committee and that we might expect to see squash back at the Olympics.
