"Winning British Open 2019 made me sure that I may be good at Squash" asserts Anahat Singh

Published at :August 30, 2023 at 10:31 PM

Modified at :January 13, 2024 at 6:39 PM

The squash star is the youngest athlete to represent India at the Commonwealth Games.

15-year-old Anahat Singh has redefined the boundaries of age and talent. She recently made waves in the world of sports over the past week by securing the gold medal at the U-17 Asian Junior Squash Championships 2023, which took place in Dalian, China from August 16 to August 20.This made Anahat the first Indian girl and only the second Indian to win the U-17 title, with Kush Kumar achieving this in 2012 in the boys’ U-17 category.

Anahat has had a remarkable squash career so far. She won Asian Junior titles in the U-15 and U-17 categories and a bronze in U-13 in 2019. She dominated the U-15 British Junior Open earlier this year. In 2022, she was India’s youngest athlete at the Commonwealth Games. Furthermore, she successfully reached the quarterfinals of the World Junior Squash Championships in both 2022 and 2023.

Khel Now’s Kartik Mehindru got into an exclusive conversation with Anahat Singh. Here are a few excerpts from the interview.

Anahat started playing squash at the age of 9, but earlier, she also tried her hand at badminton.She remembered those days while saying, “It wasn’t exactly any one moment that I decided to switch. I was playing badminton when I was 6, and I started playing squash when I was 8. But in the middle for a few years, I played both. And I feel that if I want to play a sport professionally I can’t play both sports at the same time. So I have to choose one.”

She believed that Badminton, particularly in India, had an overwhelming level of competition. “I started to do much better in squash. Badminton is a very competitive sport in India. Especially with so many people playing it. And especially in squash, there is not much competition. Slowly slowly I started to get much better at squash, winning a lot more tournaments.”

True guidance embarks an athlete on a path to success. Anahat attributed her success to her elder sister, who is also a professional squash player. When asked about how coaching from her sister, a family member, and a senior player influenced her, she responded by saying that these are two very distinct aspects to consider. “Every piece of advice they offer is valuable to us. So, every little thing they say helps us a lot. Especially my sister, as she is the one who is always around. She always watches matches and gives her input. She always wants me to win. She is a bit strict like that.”

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A sudden rise in career adds a different aspect to one’s personality. Anahat has seen such a steady rise at such a young age. She highlighted her experiences, saying, “It has been very different. Before COVID, I wasn’t that good. In those two years, my game totally changed. Especially after the Commonwealth Games. At first, it was hard to understand what was going on. How to handle it? Don’t fall for all the attention as I still have a long future ahead”

“It does get tough with school. I have to travel and all. Also now I am in 10th grade which is an important year for any student. But my school is very supportive and all those teachers help me catch up if I miss something,” said Singh while talking about how she manages everything.

The squash player discussed her victory at the 2019 British Open, an achievement that left a lasting impression on her. She also spoke about how winning the British Open gave her confidence to continue playing squash.

“If I say one specific moment then it would be winning the British Open in 2019. It was also a surprising victory for me. It was such a major tournament. It was the first that I was playing it. And I think it was only the second year that Under 11 was happening. That made me sure that I may be good at the sport. Winning that tournament made me happy and gave me a lot of confidence that I want to do as professionally as a sport.”

“I still remember when I got a call, I didn’t even know that they were considering calling me. My dad knew about it and did not tell anyone. When he told me I was so excited for my selection. I have to know in just a few days. I was in shock for a full month and can’t believe I am going,” she said talking about being the youngest to represent India at CWG.

“It did quite change my perspective a lot as I was playing only juniors earlier that and transitioning to such a big level not only in India rather in an international event. After coming back in I realized that I learnt a lot of things from that. I gained a lot of experience and matured with the sport quite a lot”Anahat will now be seen at Asian Games 2023 and it will be interesting to see how she fares.

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