NAGOYA, Sept 22 — The mission to defend the gold medal at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games is not merely about repeating the success for national women’s squash player S. Sivasangari, but is also an important platform in her bid to qualify for the Olympic Games.

The 27-year-old player admitted that this factor provided additional motivation ahead of the women’s singles competition, which begins tomorrow, but at the same time acknowledged that it also brought pressure to achieve the desired target.

“Of course, the goal is to win gold and defend the title, but everyone wants to win. That is not the question.

“The question is how I will prepare for each match and how I want to be mentally prepared,” she told Bernama when met at the Nagoya Kinjofuto Arena here.

Sivasangari said representing Malaysia was always something special to her, while the opportunity to pursue an Olympic berth through winning gold was another motivation for her to give her best in Aichi-Nagoya.

“Both are important. Representing Malaysia is always a big thing, and the Asian Games are also very important to me.

“This year, there is another motivation, which is to secure an Olympic berth. So, it is an additional motivation and additional pressure,” she said.

However, she did not want to think too much about the ultimate target, choosing instead to focus on each match that she has to play.

She said the mental aspect would play a major role after undergoing physical preparations through about one and a half months of intensive training in Prague, Czech Republic, before beginning her Professional Squash Association (PSA) season by competing in London and Qatar.

“I have done the work physically, but when I arrive at the tournament, it is more about the mental aspect.

“I want to win; that is the goal, but in the process there are many other things that I need to focus on. I just want to take it one step at a time and focus on what I need to do,” she said.

Sivasangari said the two PSA tournaments had also helped her regain her competitive rhythm after undergoing a lengthy training period.

“I think I played better in Qatar. Of course, the more matches you play, the better your rhythm becomes.

“I am happy to be here and excited to compete in my third Asian Games. I have just found my rhythm after playing in two consecutive tournaments, and I am still fresh, still want to fight and still want to play,” she said.

Sivasangari previously made history by winning gold in the women’s singles and women’s team events at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games and is now in Aichi-Nagoya aiming to defend the titles. — Bernama