Nagoya, Sep 27 (IANS) India’s Abhay Singh admitted that the ongoing Asian Games could potentially be his last appearance at the continental showpiece after settling for a silver medal in the men’s singles squash event on Sunday.
“You never know; it could be my last, maybe not. I think I played pretty well in the first. I think we were quite toe-to-toe,” Abhay told IANS.
The 44-minute contest at the Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena saw Abhay stay close to Eain in the opening game before the Malaysian gradually took control to beat the Indian 11-9, 11-5, 11-5 and bag the title.
Abhay, who became only the second Indian man after Saurav Ghosal to win a silver medal in the Asian Games men’s singles event, was unable to secure the direct qualification spot for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics that came with the gold medal.
Eain, who had also defeated Ghosal in the Hangzhou 2022 final, became the first squash player to qualify for the Los Angeles Olympics through the Asian Games after winning the title without dropping a game in Aichi-Nagoya.
Abhay said he was disappointed with the result but credited Eain for producing the better performance on the day.
“I think he started playing better squash in the second. He put the ball in very good areas, very clean squash, and moved well. Like I said, all credit to him; I think he was the better athlete today,” he said.
The Indian, however, insisted that the silver medal would not leave him disheartened when viewed in the larger picture, even though the defeat was painful.
“I’m not disheartened on a bigger picture. I’m disheartened about tonight, obviously. Many people put a lot of effort into me. “It’s just me wanting to give back, wanting to do well,” Abhay said.
“Whether it’s my team, whether it’s everyone back home in the government sponsoring you, all the sponsors, all the help we get, all the support and love we get. I just hope that I left everything I had out there. But you fall short, and you still feel a bit of pain,” he added.
Abhay was also grateful to have his parents present in Nagoya, saying their presence had made the week special.
“My parents are wonderful; they don’t say much. They know when to say what to say. It’s been nice to have them here. They didn’t make the last Asian Games, but I’m glad they were able to watch this week,” he said.
The 28-year-old also dedicated the medal to the wider support system behind him, including his team, government and sponsors.
“It goes out to everyone, really. I don’t think anyone really deserves more credit than the others. But I think I work very closely with many people who are also here this week in the Indian support team,” he added.
Abhay also acknowledged the support extended to squash by the Indian government and the Tamil Nadu government.
“I think the respected Prime Minister has come in and changed Indian sport for the better. It’s unbelievable the support Squash gets. My state government of Tamil Nadu has been absolutely brilliant with me. This medal goes out to all of them as well,” he said.
“Like I said, it’s a collective effort. It takes a village, really, for an athlete. I’m the one going on court there, but there’s so much happening in the background that not a lot of people know. A lot of these people don’t get the credit. I really hope they’re proud about tonight,” he added.
Abhay will now turn his attention to the team event before taking a short break and then competing at the US Open.
–IANS
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