Anahat Singh: When squash gave India it’s latest Gen-Z sporting icon

Anahat Singh, the newly crowned junior squash world champion, has all the makings to be the latest Gen-Z sporting icon from India. Having just broken the hegemony of Egypt in the final at the Niagra-on-the-Lake in Canada last weekend, the 18-year-old wrote sporting headlines right in the middle of Commonwealth Games and wants to carry on the good work in the Asian Games in Aichi Nagoya in September.

 A gold in the continental Games will be a tough proposition as there are higher-ranked players like world No.5 Sivasangari Subramaniam (Malaysia) and No.6 Satomi Watanbe (Japan) in the fray, but the world crown has given her a major confidence boost. ‘’I’ve played almost every single player that will be there in the Asian Games (on the senior Tour) and I know what to expect. If I have a shot at getting a chance to be a part of the Olympics in almost two months, I think that will be a dream come true,’’ Anahat said.

 .Despite being quite a spectator-friendly sport, it took squash a long time to finally make it to the Olympics from LA 2028. A gold in Aichi Nagoya will assure Anahat a direct qualifying spot for Los Angeles and she plans to give it her all – including keeping her plan for higher studies at the Harvard University on hold – to prepare for her goal. Speaking in a virtual interaction with select media facilitated by SAI, Anahat said: ‘’Every single squash player is excited that it’s going to be a part of the Olympic programme from now on. It will be great if I can qualify from Asiad but there are also other ways to make the cut over the next two years.’’

Interestingly enough, squash was not Anahat’s natural choice of racket sport as she began her journey with badminton and had been a great admirer of double Olympic medallist P.V.Sindhu. ‘’I am yet to meet her but Sindhu had been my idol for all the things she had achieved and still doing it after being 30. I have been watching her matches since I have been four years old and find her an inspirational character. I am glad that I have been able to catch her attention with the junior world title,’’ remarked Anahat from Canada with the national coach Harinder Pal Singh sitting by her side.

 The conversation gravitated to the challenge of handling pressure at such an young age – and now that Anahat has managed to end her title jinx in what had been her last tilt at the Junior Worlds – it’s going to increase in a country like India. The ability to handle it is what separates the likes of a Sindhu, Saina Nehwal or Sania Mirza from the lesser mortals and Anahat showed a clarity of thinking when she said: ‘’I don’t see it as a pressure but a position of privilege. Like any other youngster, I am also on social media and find it cool when I see the posts on my Instagram handle but it’s all a part of the game.’’

 Incidentally, Anahat had the benefit of a top drawer support staff in Canada with world champion Gregory Gaultier of France and Saurav Ghosal, a India great from Kolkata, by her side. Both of them know a thing or two about the recipe for handling pressure in top level sport.

‘’Having Greg and Saurav by my side, I don't think I could have really asked for anything more. They’ve been in the top stages, they felt that sort of pressure, they know what it’s like to climb up to the top,’’ she said.  ‘’It’s not just helpful in the game aspect but also mentally and the strategy side of it, just being able to understand what I need to do in those big moments,’’ Anahat observed.

 Her chemistry with the national coach Harinder Pal is also extraordinary. Thanking him profusely for helping out during her preparation, Anahat chuckled: ‘’He (Harinder) had been super helpful. I was in Chennai before this event and had been training with him. It had been very important.’’