The president of the Squash Association remains undeterred and vows to continue developing the sport, hoping to nurture rising stars to strengthen the team despite not winning any medals at the SEA Games.
At the 33rd SEA Games squash competition held at the squash courts of Vajiravudh College, four gold medals were contested: men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, and mixed doubles. Malaysian athletes showcased outstanding performances, sweeping all four gold medals, while Thai squash players fell short against their experienced opponents, missing out on medals in every event.
The final results for the four squash events at the 33rd SEA Games were as follows: In men's singles, the final saw Sanjay Jiwa (Malaysia) defeat Duncan Lee (Malaysia) 3-1 sets (6-11, 11-6, 11-5, 11-4). Bronze medals went to Jerome Eu Jin Ming (Singapore) and Reymark Begornia (Philippines). In men's doubles, Jeffri Daniel Harit and Law Sern Wah (Malaysia) beat Christopher Buraga and Jonathan Reyes (Philippines) 2-1 sets (11-4, 8-11, 11-5). Bronze was awarded to Fuzi Akhmad and Raifa Putri Yattasi (Indonesia), and Ang Sim Siew and Ethan Chua Fan Jia (Singapore). In women's singles, Aina Amani Ampadi Nor (Malaysia) defeated Yee Xin Ying (Malaysia) 3-1 sets (11-7, 12-10, 8-11, 11-4). Bronze went to Jemika Aribado (Philippines) and Yan Wei Yeung Wu.
Chalitrat Chantrubeksa, president of the Squash Association of Thailand under royal patronage, said, “First, I must thank government agencies, the Sports Authority of Thailand, the public, and various squash clubs for their ongoing support of the association. I sincerely apologize for not being able to lead our athletes to the success we had hoped for before the competition. However, we will not give up and will continue to strive, even though we are trailing other countries by more than 10 years.”
“We still have major challenges ahead. We will participate in the Asian Games in Japan next year. The association has a policy to support youth programs across different regions to help spread squash as an option for society to recognize it as an international-level sport. Currently, there are still few players. We have conducted activities with Maejo University in Chiang Mai and Ban Tha Din Daeng School in Kanchanaburi, among others. The association hopes to produce more squash athletes moving forward.”
The Squash Association president concluded his remarks.