Asian Games gold, first squash Olympian on mind as Veer Chotrani eyes historic milestone

Squash will make its Olympic debut at the 2028 Games, with the men's and women's singles champions at the Asian Games set to secure direct qualification for the LA Olympics. For Chotrani, currently ranked World No. 38, the prospect of making history has added significance to his preparations for the continental showpiece.

"It's great that we are finally an Olympic sport. It was a long time coming. So, I think it's a good opportunity for so many players now to be part of that event, and we will find out at the Asian Games; whoever wins the Asian Games will be directly selected. It's not going to be long until we find out who's going to be the first squash Olympian. So, I'm very excited about it, and I'm very happy that I'm part of that list of players who could be. So we shall see in the next couple of months what happens, and may the best player win," Chotrani told ANI.

The 24-year-old Mumbai-born player has been preparing for the Asian Games for the last two months, spending time training in the United States before moving to Europe as he looks to peak for the tournament.

"It's been two months since I started preparing. I've been in the US, and now I'm in Europe training to get ready for the Asian Games, and it's been a positive few months. I've been working hard. So, it's always important to build in the off-season because we have the off-season right now, so it's very important to build on that, not just for the Asian Games, but also for the rest of this season. I think it's been a good couple of months and I'm looking forward to the games," he said.

Squash at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games will be held from September 23 to October 2 at the Nagoya Kinjo-Futo Arena, with men's and women's singles, men's and women's team events and mixed doubles on the programme.

Chotrani, whose father Manish Chotrani was a two-time Indian national champion, has emerged as one of India's leading players on the PSA Tour. He believes Indian squash is currently going through a strong phase, with success coming at both senior and junior levels.

"It's very good right now, I'd say. We've been performing really well, especially on the PSA Tour, and obviously recently we had some great wins in the juniors as well," Chotrani said.

He pointed to Anahat Singh's historic World Junior title as one of the biggest signs of the sport's growth in the country.

"Anahat winning the World Juniors was a huge historic achievement for Indian squash, and also the boys won a bronze medal in the world junior team, which was also very, very impressive. On the tour, we've been doing pretty well the last few years," said Chotrani.

Chotrani also highlighted the growing depth in Indian men's squash, saying four Indian players have consistently remained inside the world's top 50 in recent months.

"We have had Anahat already in the top 20 in the world, and we have four boys who have been within the top 50 in the world consistently now for the last 12 to 16 months, 18 months. So, I think it's a very positive phase for our sport. We have a lot more support now as well, which is great. And I think in the world of squash, India is definitely one of those top contenders for any events we play. So that's a very, very positive fact," he said.

Chotrani also believes Anahat's breakthrough at the World Juniors can inspire a new generation of Indian squash players.

"Of course, it (Anahat's title) has already inspired a lot of people to pick up a squash racket and play. She is the one who's going to do incredible things for our sport in India in the next many, many years to come," he said.

Having trained and travelled alongside Anahat, Chotrani said he has seen first-hand the work ethic that has helped the teenager reach the top.

"And I know she works very, very hard, and we all are part of the same team; we spend a lot of time together, so I've seen how hard she works and how dedicated she is. So that's very good to see that she's achieving these kinds of things. And it's not just inspiring the youth; it's also inspiring her teammates who travel with her and play with her and who spend time with her, which is great," he said.

"To be honest, I wasn't surprised she won the World Juniors; she's leaps and bounds ahead of everyone in junior squash, which shows her level and how good she already is. So, I think it was an amazing, amazing feat," Chotrani added.

With the Asian Games just around the corner, Chotrani will now look to turn his strong preparation into a performance that could potentially earn him a place in history as India's first squash Olympian. (ANI)