For the last two days, the nation's brightest young hopes gathered in Fort Worth, Texas for the 2021 Junior Pan Am Games Trials. The Junior Pan Am Games will be held later this year in Cali, Colombia. The team trials were open to any American player whose year of birth starts with the number 2. It has been a busy week at the Sid Richardson Center in Fort Worth, Texas. There, the 2021-22 US National Adult Team Trials concluded on May 24, the day the Junior Pan Am Games Trials began. At the Adult Team Trials, the top two women's spots were claimed by Amy Wang and fellow finalist Sarah Jalli. Wang, 19, and Jalli, 15, were also sufficiently youthful to qualify for the 2021 Junior Pan Am Games. Once again, they claimed the top two spots in the same order. The position of first alternate was awarded to Yishiuan Lin, the third place finisher who is all of 13 years old. As with the men's adult team trials, the top spot was claimed without a shot fired, awarded in absentia to Kanak Jha owing to his top American world ranking (#30). This meant the Junior Pan Am Games Trials winner would secure the second spot on the team, and the runner-up be named the first alternate. The respective honors went to 16-year-old Jayden Zhou and 17-year-old Sid Naresh. The 2021 Junior Pan Am Games will be held from November 25 to December 5. It is good that the US boys team has secured the services of Naresh as a backup, for Kanak Jha will likely be preoccupied with the World Championships this November 23-29 in Houston. What a great opportunity for both youngsters, both young stars!

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