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NAGOYA, Sept 22 — S. Sivasangari, the National Women’s Squash Player of Malaysia, is not only striving to defend her gold medal at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, but she also sees this event as a crucial stepping stone towards qualifying for the Olympic Games. The 27-year-old player admitted that this pursuit gave her an extra push ahead of the women's singles competition, which commences tomorrow, but also admitted that it added pressure to achieve her goal.

"Of course, the goal is to win gold and defend the title, but everyone wants to win. The question is how I will prepare for each match and how I want to be mentally prepared," she shared with Bernama during an interview at the Nagoya Kinjofuto Arena. For Sivasangari, representing Malaysia is always a significant honor, and the opportunity to earn an Olympic berth through winning gold provides another motivation to give her best at Aichi-Nagoya.

"Both are important. Representing Malaysia is always a big thing, and the Asian Games are also very important to me. This year, there is another motivation, which is to secure an Olympic berth. So, it is an additional motivation and additional pressure," she explained. Despite this pressure, Sivasangari chose to concentrate on each match rather than the ultimate target.

She acknowledged that the mental aspect would play a significant role post her physical preparations in Prague, Czech Republic, over about one and a half months. "I have done the work physically, but when I arrive at the tournament, it is more about the mental aspect. I want to win; that is the goal, but in the process, there are many other things that I need to focus on.

I just want to take it one step at a time and focus on what I need to do," she stated. She also mentioned that the two PSA tournaments aided her regain her competitive rhythm after a lengthy training period. "I think I played better in Qatar. Of course, the more matches you play, the better your rhythm becomes. I am happy to be here and excited to compete in my third Asian Games.

I have just found my rhythm after playing in two consecutive tournaments, and I am still fresh, still want to fight and still want to play," she added. Sivasangari previously made history by winning gold in the women's singles and women's team events at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games and is now in Aichi-Nagoya aiming to defend the titles.