Thirlling gold, but more to go

India men's team secure top prize in the continental event, ending their 9-year wait

- KALYANI MANGALE

FOUR points down in the final game of the gold medal clash. Against a rival like Pakistan on one of the biggest stages of the sport. Away from home and amidst the roaring support for the opposition. That genuinely sounds like the final act of the Bollywood sports movie. It is not for fainthearted. Well, Abhay Singh is not one of those. The 25-year-old literally became the embodiment of his name in the concluding moments of the gold medal clash between the neighbours at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Squash Court on Saturday. India won gold in Asian Games after nine years.

"It is an amazing victory," Cyrus Poncha, secretary-general of Squash Raquets Federation of India, told this daily from Hangzhou. "We were down in this match, we had lost to Pakistan before. In this match as well, we were down. Abhay was down but managed to win from there. It's a massive victory for India and Indian squash," he added.