CHENNAI: AS competition in the individual categories of the World Junior Squash Championship approaches an end, it looks more like an Egyptian national tournament. On Sunday, seven of the eight semifinalists were from the African county. The crowd at Express Avenue mall looked confused as to who to cheer, like the Senior Asian Championship a year ago, when three of the four finalists were from India. But success is not something that the Egyptians achieved overnight.
Their dominance in the sport can be attributed to the best of facilities and the amount of money the government pumps in. Playing the same opponent again and again can be less exciting in the long run. However, some players feel that though there is a lack of competition from other nations, it gets difficult in tournaments like this. “Of course it’s not boring. We were chosen by our coaches because they believed in us. Though we are dominating, it’s not always like this.
“And even between us, there is a lot of competition. The head to head battles are very close,” said Marwan Tarek, who is seeded No 1 in the boys’ category. But when a certain team has been so consistent over the years in the junior and senior circuit, there should be something that they are doing differently to remain at the top. It is all down to the culture that they have back home. When there are so many successful players to come out of the country, there is hardly any need of motivation.
Sessions with such players help one get an idea of what is needed to excel. “We have a lot of good players to look up to. Even if they are busy with their own stuff, just being with them for a day or two can help you. You learn a lot,” said Tarek. While success is good for the country, Rowan Reda Araby, the women’s top seed, points out the emotional side of playing against opponents from one’s own country. “I wouldn’t say it’s boring. It’s really tough to play against my teammates.
We are good friends. But the fact that we have faced each other so much makes things easier. It also shows how good we are. I am really happy that there are so many Egyptians playing knockouts. “It’s just that we have so many role models to look up to and that’s what is motivating us. There is nothing that we are doing different. Maybe, we are naturally good at the sport.”
Lights out during semifinals
The first semifinal in Express Avenue mall between Marwan Tarkek and Omar El Torke was halted for 20 minutes due to a technical problem. The lights at the glass facility switched off. Marwan said such instances happen often. “When you stop suddenly, your body warms down and it’s not good. But you have to get used to the situation. These things keep happening and you have to adapt,” Marwan said.
Semifinal results
Men: Marwan
Tarek (EGY) bt
Omar El Torkey
(EGY) 11-9, 6-11,
11-8, 2-11, 11-8;
Mostafa Asal
(EGY) bt Mostafa
El Serty (EGY)
11-3, 11-7, 11-7.
Women: Rowan
Redy Araby (EGY)
bt Jana Shiha
(EGY) 11-5, 13-11,
11-6; Hania El
Hammamy (EGY)
bt Lucy Trummel
11-6, 8-11, 11-4,
11-4.vimalsankar@newindianexpress.com