Goa’s Akanksha Salunkhe lived up to the expectations of a sizeable crowd as she defeated Tamil Nadu’s Pooja Arthi 11-5, 11-4, 11-3 and clinched the women’s singles gold medal in the squash competition of the 37th National Games Goa 2023, at the Chicalim Multipurpose Sports Complex on Sunday. This is Goa’s 11th gold medal of the Games and take the hosts medal tally to 49 including 12 silver medals and 26 bronze medals.
Salunkhe, who is now based in the United States after having honed her skills in Goa from her sub-junior days, was so dominant throughout the week that she did not lose a single game in the entire tournament.
Even in the final against Pooja, the local favourite rarely looked in any trouble. She scored points at will with cross-court drop shots and kept Pooja on her toes in the front court.
“I came here with a single goal of winning the gold. I was not thinking of silver or bronze and I am happy that I could achieve my target,” said Salunkhe after the match.
The 24-year-old, who headed to USA for studies and better training six years ago, said there was no doubt in her mind about turning up for the state at the National Games.
“I had made up my mind to play the National Games ever since it was clear last year that the Games will be held during this period. Luckily for me, I was anyway going to play in Malaysia and things worked out fine in terms of scheduling.
“But even if that was not the case, I would have still come to play because this is where I started my career and many people have contributed to my development. This is my way of giving back to Goa and to all those who have supported me so far,” she added.
The support for Salunkhe was quite visible as the stands were packed with local squash players and family members, who cheered every point she won.
Speaking about her future plans, the world No. 74 said her immediate goal is the break into the top-50 by the end of the season. She also said that all the players of her generation now have the additional motivation to do well as squash is slated to make its Olympic debut in 2028. “But there are many seasons and tournaments before that and I need to focus on keeping the momentum and staying at my best,” she added.
