New Zealand's squash team for the Commonwealth Games will be spearheaded by defending champion Joelle King and current World No.1 Paul Coll.
King and Coll were named as part of a seven-strong squad named for Birmingham on Tuesday with the pair to compete in their respective singles competitions and also together in the mixed doubles.
King, who won three medals at the 2018 Commonwealth Games including gold in the women's singles and doubles, said she couldn't wait to return to the big stage.
"I’m very honoured to be selected for my fourth Commonwealth Games. At my first one at age 21 in Delhi, if you had told me then I would be going to my fourth games in Birmingham I would have laughed, but you know here I am 33 years young," said King.
Coll, heading to his third Commonwealth Games after winning silver in the men's singles and a bronze with King in the mixed doubles on the Gold Coast, said he felt he was heading to home turf in a way.
"I’m looking forward to heading to Birmingham where I spend a lot of time training with my coach, so it feels like a second home for me," Coll said.
Alongside the pair adding experience to the squad will be Amanda Landers-Murphy who will be looking to defend the gold she won alongside King in the women's doubles four years ago.
New to the squad are brothers Lwamba and Temwa Chileshe along with Kaitlyn Watts and Abbie Palmer.
The Chileshe brothers head to Birmingham having spent six months training overseas recently and representing New Zealand at the world doubles championship.
Both Watts and Palmer have represented New Zealand in team events as well, but this will be their first Commonwealth Games. Watts will also compete in the women’s singles.
The coach for the team is former pro Glen Wilson.
The naming takes the total number of athletes currently selected to the New Zealand Team for Birmingham 2022 to 72.
New Zealand Commonwealth Games Squash team
Paul Coll – men’s singles, mixed doubles with Joelle King
Lwamba Chileshe – men’s doubles, permission to start in men's singles
Temwa Chileshe – men’s doubles, permission to start in men's singles
Joelle King – women's singles, mixed doubles with Paul Coll, and women's doubles with Amanda Landers-Murphy
Amanda Landers-Murphy – women's doubles with Joelle King
Kaitlyn Watts – women's doubles with Abbie Palmer, permission to start in women's singles
Abbie Palmer – women's doubles with Kaitlyn Watts
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