Austin Adarraga (born 1965), also known as Austin Adarraga Almirall, is a former professional

squash Squash may refer to: Sports * Squash (sport), the high-speed racquet sport also known as squash racquets * Squash (professional wrestling), an extremely one-sided match in professional wrestling * Squash tennis, a game similar to squash but pla ...

player for

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. In May 1993, he reached the eleventh place on the international circuit, his best ranking. He was Spanish champion four times between 1988 and 1994. Adarraga was born

Townsville Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, to Spanish parents who emigrated to Australia. At the age of eleven, he was the Australian under-13 champion by beating Rodney Martin, a future world squash champion. In 1979, while spending the holidays with his uncle and aunt in Spain, he was a finalist in the first Spanish squash championship against

Carlos Sainz Carlos Sainz may refer to: People * Carlos Sainz Sr. (born 1962), Spanish rally driver world champion, father of Jr. * Carlos Sainz Jr. (born 1994), Spanish Formula One driver, son of Sr. Other uses * '' Carlos Sainz: World Rally Championship'', 1 ...

, aged 16, a future

world rally champion The World Rally Championship (abbreviated as WRC) is the highest level of global competition in the motorsport discipline of rallying, owned and governed by the FIA. There are separate championships for drivers, co-drivers, manufacturers and t ...

. At the age of seventeen, he was quarter-finalist in the

World Junior Squash Championships The World Junior Squash championships are the official junior tournament in the game of squash (sport), squash conducted by the World Squash Federation (WSF). Entry is open to individuals aged 19 and below. Since its inception the world juniors h ...

representing Australia, bowing to

Jansher Khan Jansher Khan PP SI HI ( ur, جان شیر خان; born 15 June 1969, in Peshawar, Pakistan) is a former World No. 1 professional Pakistani squash player. During his career, he won the World Open a record eight times, and the British Open s ...

. He then joined the

Australian Institute of Sport The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) is a high performance sports training institution in Australia. The Institute's headquarters were opened in 1981 and are situated in the northern suburb of Bruce, Canberra. The AIS is a division of the ...

under the direction of

Geoff Hunt Geoffrey Brian Hunt, (born 11 March 1947), is a retired Australian Squash (sport), squash player who is widely considered to be one of the greatest squash players in history. He was ranked the World No.1 squash player from 1975 to 1980. He ...

. In 1985, he received a letter from the Spanish federation asking him to represent Spain at a European competition taking place in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

and chose to represent Spain in official competitions. In 1992, he achieved his best year by rising to the semi-finals of the world championship, only beaten by the Jansher Khan. Adarraga retired from sport in 1995 and returned to Australia.

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adarraga, Austin 1965 births Living people Australian male squash players Spanish male squash players Australian Institute of Sport squash players Sportspeople from Townsville Sportsmen from Queensland