Sports Min Mandaviya felicitates squash star Anahat Singh and men's team on World Jr. C'ships success
New Delhi, Aug 4
Union Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports Mansukh Mandaviya felicitated India's World Junior Squash Championship 2026 team, including gold medallist Anahat Singh and bronze medal-winning men's junior team Aryaveer Dewan, Yusha Nafees and Gurveer Singh.
Anahat, 18, became the first Indian to win the World Junior Squash Championships women's singles title in Canada last week. This was her fifth participation in the competition and her second medal from the World Championships. She had won the bronze last year in Cairo.
Anahat defeated Egyptian second seed Ruqayya Salem 11-3, 11-7, 11-9 in the women's final to claim the biggest title of her career so far. She became the first non-Egyptian player to win the World Junior Squash Championship title since Amanda Sobhy🇺🇸 in 2010. By winning the title, she broke the 15-year title-winning streak of Egyptian players, which started in 2011.
Earlier she became the first Indian in 21 years to reach the final of the World Squash Junior Championships, defeating Egypt's Barb Sameh in four games. She continued her brilliant season by defeating another Egyptian in the summit clash.
Interacting with the athletes, Mandaviya encouraged the youngsters to treat their recent success as the beginning of a much longer journey, with major milestones such as the Asian Games 2026 and the Olympic Games 2028 lying ahead.
Congratulating Anahat on her landmark achievement, Mandaviya said her historic triumph is worthy of inspiring millions of young Indians to take up squash. In a sweet gesture, Anahat also presented an autographed squash racket and squash ball to the minister.
The youngsters also indulged in selfies and candid conversations, making the felicitation event a heart and joyful occasion.
The squash team touched down in India on Monday night and Squash Rackets Federation of India president Anil Wadhwa, IFS (Retd.), welcomed the Indian team home after their successful and historic campaign at the 2026 World Junior Squash Championships.
— IANS
Reader Comments
So proud of our girls! Anahat's journey from bronze last year to gold this year shows her dedication. The way she handled the Egyptian players in the final was brilliant. Also great to see the men's team bringing home bronze. Squash is definitely on the rise in India.
Congratulations to Anahat and the entire Indian contingent! This is a historic milestone for Indian squash. The future looks very bright with the Asian Games and Olympics coming up. Well deserved recognition from the Sports Minister.
Great job by the team! But let's not just celebrate and stop here. We need better infrastructure and coaching at the grassroots level if we want to sustain this momentum. One or two star players won't change the game; we need a system that produces champions regularly.
Amazing! Anahat is a superstar. The way she defeated two Egyptian players back-to-back shows her mental strength. And she's only going to get better. Can't wait to see her at the Olympics! 🎾🥇
Such a proud moment for India! The minister's gesture and the team's enthusiasm show a positive environment. But I hope the government focuses on promoting squash in smaller towns too, not just metros. That's where the real talent lies.
K Kavya N Honestly, this We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.