Chris Binnie thinks he is in a very good place in his squash career at the moment.

His commitment and fierce physical intensity in the sport has brought him tremendous success and sent him soaring to new heights.

Binnie finished last season with an appearance in the AJ Bell PSA (Professional Squash Association) World Championships in Manchester, England, where he came through qualifying for the World Open and qualified for the main event.

With a two-set (11-2, 11-4) victory over the 188th-ranked Micah Franklin of Bermuda and a 3-1 (11-5, 7-11, 11-8, 11-5) win over 91st-ranked Robertino Pezzota of Argentina, Binnie became the first Jamaican or Caribbean squash player to qualify for the biggest professional tournament in the world.

Despite going down 1-3 (13-11, 8-11, 8-11, and 4-11) to Joel Makin of Wales in round one of the main event, he is now firm on using that as his first step on the road to squash stardom.

“I am very happy with this stepping stone in my career and hope to build on it this year. Jamaica also competed in the World Team Championships for the first time ever and this was an invaluable experience not just for me, but for the entire national team,” an elated Binnie told the Jamaica Observer from his United States residence in Hartford, Connecticut.

That key landmark in Binnie’s season also saw the Jamaica and Caribbean number one jumping five places from 70 to 65 — his highest-ever placing — on the Professional Squash Association (PSA) rankings released on New Year’s Day.

The feat was one of three yearly goals for the 28-year-old, the other two being his successful defence of the Caribbean title for the eighth time (seventh in a row) as well as his national title.

In 43 games last year, Binnie won 27 and lost 16.

“It certainly was a good year if I step back and look at the bigger picture. Obviously you always want to do better, but I have to be thankful for how I did and the results I got.

“But the most important thing for me these days is the World Tour; I improved my ranking to 65 in the world and that was always the goal — to get into the 60’s by the end of the year and then into the 40’s by the end of June,” Binnie revealed.

“So hopefully if things continue to go well, I am on course. Of course, there were some matches I lost that I wish I had won, but that’s sports. I did my best in each situation and if I fell short, I learned from the experience and tried to improve,” he added.

Away from the PSA World Tour, Binnie has accepted the onus to make squash a household sport in Jamaica, and he believes his nomination for Sportsman of the Year award acts as a perfect conveyor to those ambitions.

The 6ft 3in player will be up against the incomparable Usain Bolt and 110m hurdles world champion Omar McLeod. Cricketers Chris Gayle, Nikita Miller and Chadwick Walton have also been shortlisted along with Reggae Boyz outstanding goaltender Andre Blake.

“I am incredibly humbled and appreciative for the nomination and very excited to see that my improvements and the sport as a whole are not going unnoticed. Many Jamaicans are unaware of squash, and I hope to change that in the future as I continue to climb the world rankings and compete at the highest level in the world.

“Of course, I always believe I have a chance of winning in anything I am involved in, but there are some other incredible athletes in the mix and each of them incredibly deserving also. Let’s see what happens,” he noted.

Binnie’s optimism for this year has increased since his string of latest successes. This is particularly so because he is aware that “everything takes time” and is “willing to put in the effort and be patient”.

“It has been a long and hard road, but things are still moving in the right direction. and whether these improvements come fast or slow, I am grateful that I am still moving in the right direction.

“I expect to continue moving up the rankings and win some more professional events, and I also hope to put in a good showing at the Commonwealth Games in April and then continue on my pro season after.

“I am moving closer to my coach (Rod Martin) to work with him more intensely and I hope this will aid in my continued improvement. I will be doing everything I possibly can to achieve my goals for this year and get to a level where I am a world leader in the sport one day,” Binnie ended.