Sammie Rai is 11 years old, headed to sixth grade at Gregory Middle School, and she just won three gold medals at the same national tournament where her 8-year-old sister Sasha took home one of her own.

The Naperville sisters both stood atop the podium at the 2026 USA Racquetball National Junior Championships, held June 24-28 at the Wellmark YMCA in Des Moines, Iowa. Sammie swept gold in the 10U Girls Singles, 10U Mixed Doubles, and 10U Girls Doubles. Sasha, a rising third grader at Patterson Elementary School, won gold in the 8U Girls Singles and added a silver in the 10U Girls Double Bounce (a modified format) and a bronze in the 10U Girls Doubles.

Sammie's triple-gold performance earned her a spot on the 2026 Team USA Junior National Team for the fourth consecutive time. She's one of 34 athletes from eight states selected for the squad, according to USA Racquetball. The national team will compete at the IRF World Junior Racquetball Championships later in 2026, though a date and location have not been announced.

Her 10U Girls Singles title was her second career national championship in that division, according to Pro Racquetball Stats.

U.S. Junior Team Coach Director Jen Meyer said in a USA Racquetball press release that she's "excited to support Sammie and her fellow team members as they compete in matches vs. junior athletes from 15 other countries."

A family affair on the court

The sisters were introduced to racquetball by their father, Sathwik Rai, a former Team India amateur silver medalist. Sammie's international resume already includes competing in Bolivia at age 8 and winning a bronze medal for Team USA in Guatemala City at age 9 in the girls under-10 doubles, according to NCTV17.

Sammie has trained locally with three-time consecutive world champion and former No. 1 women's racquetball player Cheryl Gudinas, who was coaching her as of late 2025.

Sathwik Rai told NCTV17 in a December 2025 interview that the journey has been rewarding. "I used to work with her on and off, but she never used to listen to me," he said of coaching Sammie early on.

Sasha, meanwhile, has been chasing her older sister's footsteps. Sammie told NCTV17 in December that Sasha "wants to try to get on the USA Team." Six months later, the younger Rai already has a national gold medal of her own.