Malta’s top female squash player Colette Sultana will continue her career in the United States for the next four years as she will be pursuing her studies at the Columbia University.
Sultana, 17, will read for a bachelor’s degree in New York and, during her four-year stay in the US, she will be able to keep practising her favourite sport under the charge of coach Jacques Swanepoel, a former member of the South African national team.
“I never imagined that this could become reality,” Sultana, a gold medallist for Malta at the 2011 GSSE, told The Sunday Times.
“My studies are a huge priority for my future but at the same time, I wanted to continue playing squash at a very high level. Columbia University is a perfect solution for my ambitions.
“It is one of the best universities in the United States where I will also get an opportunity to play squash on a professional level.”
If her level of play continues to improve, Sultana might also get a chance to join the Varsity Squash Team in the Ivy League.
“I’ve already been in touch with Jacques Swanepoel and he also saw some of my matches on DVD,” Sultana said.
“I just can’t wait to get started and hopefully my career will continue to flourish during my time at the Columbia University.”
For Sultana, this will not be her first academic experience abroad. For the last two years, she has been a student at the Millfield School in Somerset, England, where she studied for her ‘A’ level certificates.
At Millfield School, Sultana had seven-times world champion Jonah Barrington as coach along with Ian Thomas.
“Overall, my experience in Somerset was a good one,” Sultana said. “Having two coaches of the calibre of Jonah and Ian helped me raise my game significantly.
“My two years there were made possible through the great financial support I have been receiving from the school, Kunsill Malti ghall-iSport, the Maltese Olympic Committee and my family.”
In the last few weeks, Sultana figured in a series of tournaments abroad.
Last month, she placed ninth in the French Junior Open and this weekend she is taking part in the Luxembourg Open.