Malaysia’s Ng and Subramaniam clinch Olympic berths after Asian Games gold

The top seeds defended their Asian Games squash titles, securing the first Olympic qualifications for the Los Angeles 2028 Games.

Published On 27 Sep 202627 Sep 2026

Malaysia’s Eain Yow Ng and Sivasangari Subramaniam have made Olympic history by becoming the first squash players to secure a berth at the 2028 Los Angeles Games, thanks to gold‑medal victories at the Asian Games in Aichi‑Nagoya, Japan.

The defending champions capped their dominance on Sunday by winning both the men’s and women’s finals, thereby earning direct qualification spots for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, where squash will make its debut.

In Aichi‑Nagoya, squash is one of the few sports that awards automatic qualification for the next Olympics with a gold medal.

Both Eain and Sivasangari defended their titles unbeaten, dropping no games throughout their campaigns. The victories also added Malaysia’s fifth and sixth gold medals at the Games.

World number five Sivasangari quickly followed her compatriot’s achievement, dispatching India’s Anahat Singh with a dominant display in the women’s final.

She crushed 17th‑ranked Singh with a 11‑4, 11‑4, 11‑7 triumph in just 23 minutes to secure the gold medal.

Earlier, world junior champion Singh staged a remarkable comeback from two sets down, eventually beating Japan’s Satomi Watanabe 9‑11, 11‑13, 12‑10, 11‑6, 11‑3 in the semi‑final on Saturday.

“I think it is the best win of my career,” said 18‑year‑old Singh after the match. “She’s number six in the world, and that’s the highest win I’ve ever had in my squash career.”

Her semi‑final victory also marked history, making Singh the first Indian woman to reach the singles final at the Asian Games, even before the championship match.

Earlier in the day, Pakistan secured two additional bronze medals when third seed Noor Zaman defeated compatriot Ashab Irfan 3‑0 in the bronze‑medal match, while Satomi Watanabe overcame Hong Kong’s Sin Yuk Chan 3‑1.

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