Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday congratulated Anahat Singh on her historic victory at the 2026 World Junior Squash Championship, saying the achievement would inspire more young people to take up the sport.
Taking to X, PM Modi posted, “A historic feat at the 2026 World Junior Squash Championship. Proud of Anahat Singh for winning the Gold Medal and becoming the first Indian squash player ever to win the World Junior Championship title. This accomplishment will further popularise squash among the youth.”
A historic feat at the 2026 World Junior Squash Championship.
Proud of Anahat Singh for winning the Gold Medal and becoming the first Indian squash player ever to win the World Junior Championship title. This accomplishment will further popularise squash among the youth.… pic.twitter.com/NtvHnrKNDQ
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 26, 2026
Historic Triumph
Anahat created history on Saturday by defeating Egypt’s Raqya Salem 3-0 in the girls’ singles final, becoming the first Indian player to win the World Junior Squash Championship title.
Top seed and India’s No 1 player, Anahat, defeated second seed Raqya Salem 11-3, 11-7, 11-9 to clinch the historic title. With the win, she surpassed Joshna Chinappa’s runner-up finish in 2005, which had remained India’s best performance at the Junior World Championships for more than two decades.
The 18-year-old dominated the tournament, losing only two games in six matches. She began her campaign with a straight-games victory over Australian qualifier Lily Wilson, before defeating Pai Yen Chloe Lo of Hong Kong China and Duis Yee San Lee of Malaysia to reach the quarter-finals.
Anahat defeated Egypt’s Habiba Rizk 3-1 in the quarter-finals and another Egyptian, Barb Sameh, by the same margin in the semi-finals to set up the title clash. Her victory over Raqya Salem also ended Egypt’s dominance in the girls’ World Junior Championship, with Egyptian players having held the title since 2011.
Anahat had won the bronze medal at last year’s Junior World Championships in Cairo, ending India’s 15-year wait for an individual medal at the event. She is currently ranked World No 20 on the senior PSA Tour and will now look to build on her historic success ahead of squash’s Olympic debut at the Los Angeles 2028 Games.
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