SEPANG, Oct 6 — The Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia (SRAM) has described the national squash squad as the best-performing team in the Malaysian contingent for winning three golds, one silver, and one bronze at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games.
Team manager Nafzahizam Adnan said this feat almost matched the squash squad’s achievement at the Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, 2010.
What has been most heartening is that this year’s team comprised young players who can shoulder the country’s challenge in the next Asian Games.
“This is among our best achievements since squash was introduced in the 1998 Asian Games. At Guangzhou 2010, we won three golds, one silver and two bronzes when there were no mixed doubles yet.
“Overall, we are very satisfied with their performance,” he told the press at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport on his return from Hangzhou today.
The three golds were contributed by the women’s team, S. Sivasangari in women’s singles and Ng Eain Yow in men’s singles, while the silver came from mixed doubles pair Aifa Azman – Mohammad Syafiq Kamal and the bronze from the men’s team.
Nafzahizam, who is also SRAM’s honorary secretary, said the team to Hangzhou comprised mostly players who had been groomed since the last edition in Jakarta-Palembang five years ago.
They were also training under the young talent development programme jointly conducted by SRAM and Yayasan CIMB.
“Judging from their performance, we will continue with the development programme and maybe intensify it,” he added.
— Bernama