Sivasangari targets Asian Games gold, Olympic berth

 Malaysia’s top women’s squash player says the prospect of qualifying for the Olympics provides extra motivation ahead of the Asian Games.

Malaysia’s top women’s squash player, S Sivasangari, taking part in an Asian Games 2026 training session at the Nagoya Kinjofuto Arena in Nagoya City, Japan, yesterday. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA:

S Sivasangari wants to defend her Asian Games women’s singles gold medal while using the Aichi-Nagoya Games as a stepping stone towards Olympic qualification.

Sivasangari, Malaysia’s top women’s squash player, won gold in the women’s singles and team events at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games and is aiming to defend both titles in Aichi-Nagoya.

Ranked fifth in the world, Sivasangari, 27, begins this year’s Asian Games campaign tomorrow.

“Representing Malaysia is always a big thing, and the Asian Games is also very important to me,” Bernama reported her as saying.

“This year, there is another motivation, which is to secure an Olympic berth. So, it is an additional motivation and additional pressure.

“I want to win, that is the goal, but in the process there are many other things that I need to focus on. I just want to take it one step at a time,” she said.

She added that the mental aspect would be crucial after about six weeks of intensive training in Prague, followed by PSA tournaments in London and Qatar.

Sivasangari said the two PSA tournaments also helped her regain her competitive rhythm after a lengthy training stint.

“I have done the work physically, but when I arrive at the tournament, it is more about the mental aspect,” she said.

“I think I played better in Qatar. Of course, the more matches you play, the better your rhythm becomes.” - FMT