Asiad double gold boosts Eain Yow for Olympics

NAGOYA: National squash ace Ng Eain Yow is hungry to take his career to greater heights after creating history by qualifying for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics through his men's singles gold medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

The 28-year-old defeated India's Abhay Singh in the final at the Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena on Sunday to become the first men's singles player to secure an Olympic berth through the Asian Games.

He followed that success with another gold on Friday, helping Malaysia beat Pakistan 2-0 in the men's team final.

The world No. 18 now has four Asian Games gold medals, having also won the men's singles title at Hangzhou 2022 and the team event at Jakarta-Palembang 2018.

Eain Yow, who is based in Bristol, United Kingdom, and trains under coach Hadrian Stiff, now wants to make the most of a more stable training environment to raise his level and consistently challenge the world's best.

He believes his game is also getting closer to its best after struggling for consistency over the past year.

"I feel my game is now almost back to its best, or at least at a level where I can compete with the best players in the world. I have not felt like this for a long time, probably about a year," he said.

Eain Yow, who reached a career-high world No. 10 ranking in April 2025, said his focus is now on climbing the rankings through consistent training.

He added that securing Olympic qualification early also gives him more freedom to concentrate fully on improving his game without the pressure of chasing a place at the Games.

"I now have a little more freedom because things are no longer as stressful as before. I can focus fully on what I need to do.

"I want to keep improving my game over the next few months and in the years ahead. I believe I can continue to improve my ranking.

"My target is to become world No. 1, become world champion and win Olympic gold. I want everything in this sport, so I will continue working hard," he said.

Besides Eain Yow, national women's singles player S Sivasangari also made history by becoming the first woman to qualify for Los Angeles after winning the women's singles title.

Sivasangari defeated India's Anahat Singh to retain the title she won at Hangzhou 2022 before helping Malaysia defend the women's team crown with a 2-1 victory over Hong Kong in the final.