There was not a chance in hell that India’s finest squash player Saurav Ghosal would continue playing the game in his 40s but the sport’s inclusion in the 2028 Olympics after decades of wait has forced the 37-year-old to rethink about his future plans. In a testament to his remarkable longevity, Ghosal has managed to stay at the top of his game for the major part of his professional career that began as a teenager way back in 2003.
The world number 18 has got a bagful of medals over the six Asian Games that he has been part of and last year became the first Indian to win a singles medal in the highly-competitive Commonwealth Games.
However, all those laurels came his away amid the disappointment of squash being ignored for Olympics, edition after edition, over the past 20 years. Monday’s announcement provided a sense of relief and ecstasy for Ghosal and his generation which grew up dreaming about a medal at the Summer Games.
It doesn’t get bigger than the Olympics and therefore, Ghosal is tempted to go on for another five long years.
“I have to sit down with my team and family whether it is a possibility or not, if I can go that far and try and win a medal for India. It would be the moment of my career,” Ghosal told PTI from Mumbai shortly after the IOC approved squash as one of the five additional sports for the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
“I need to sit down and figure it out how to go about it. If it wasn’t for today’s monumental development, there was no chance that I would carry on at 42 but now I am sure there are others who would be 40-year-olds like me who would consider carrying on till the Olympics.”
Eight-time world champion Nicol David from Malaysia spent a great amount of time in promoting squash to the Olympics but it could not happen in her time. Ghosal belongs to the same generation and expectedly felt a range of emotions after the sport’s Olympic entry was confirmed.
“It is a sense of relief and ecstasy. In life they said there is time for everything and this is probably the time for squash. I wish I was 10 years younger. We are very appreciative of the IOC and LA28 for giving this vote of confidence. I am sure the sport will put up a great spectacle.
“We always had this ray of hope and it has actually happened. We are at the top now and it doesn’t get bigger than this. Now we have to make sure that the sport becomes a regular feature on the Olympic program.”
So, is 2028 happening for him at all?
“If I can somehow manage to get there and win a medal for India, it would be the proudest moment of my career,” added Ghosal.
