Rising Kiwi squash star Kaitlyn Watts is preparing for her first Commonwealth Games after a disrupted build-up due to Covid which left her struggling to do everyday activities.
The 21-year-old from Palmerston North is currently ranked 95th in the world and second in New Zealand behind Joelle King.
Watts moved to Scotland last November to gain more experience against top competition.
Just a couple of months ago, her preparations for Birmingham were hampered by Covid and she was forced to pull out of the semi-finals of the nationals.
“I had a bit of pain in the chest, it was quite uncomfortable, and I couldn’t really breathe. I started to hyperventilate.
“It hasn’t been ideal prep. I had two weeks completely off and then slowly got back in to training. As soon as I did one hard session, I just went backwards, got sick again and was sleeping all day. Then I had to travel back to New Zealand so that flight didn’t help either.”
When she got the virus, she found even walking was hard, but now she’s on the mend and has taken some inhalers to help her breathe.
Despite the interruption, she is wanting to make the most of the exciting opportunity to represent the country and learn off her legendary teammates, - King and Paul Coll.
“I just want to take it all in and enjoy the experience. To be a part of the whole New Zealand team and the culture that we have here is pretty amazing. Hopefully there’s a few more Comm Games on the horizon.”
As the youngest of eight children, you could say Watts’ upbringing prepared her for this big moment and fuelled her competitive fire.
Her family would often drive down to the courts in their van to play and she always had them “pushing” her around.
“I always like to play my older brother and I’ve got to admit I haven’t beaten him yet but this year if we play again, I’d beat him.”
The opening round of the squash draw in Birmingham begins on Friday at 11pm NZT.
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