Historic Gold For Malaysians Subramaniam & Yow Ng at 2026 Asian Games

There was double delight for Malaysia today in Japan where Sivasanagri Subramaniam and Eain Yow Ng claimed Gold at the 2026 Asian Games to become the first squash players to qualify for the LA28 Olympic Games.

Defeating India's Abhay Singh and Anahat Singh at the Nagoya Kinjo-Futo Arena in Nagoya, the Malaysian duo produced performances of note to successfully defend their titles and make history in the process: Yow Ng became the first Malaysian male player to win back-to-back titles in 20 years, while Sivasangari is the first Malaysian women's player to win back-to-back Asian Games titles since former eight-time World Champion Nicol David won her fifth gold medal in 2018.

As the competition reached its conclusion, it was the men's draw that stole the show as Yow Ng wrote his name into squash history with a 3/0 victory over India's No.2 seed Abhay Singh.

Despite the distance in the scoreline, the first game of the contest was far from a one-sided battle, with both players pushing each other to the limit on court, refusing to let the other grow a sizeable lead.

And with the first game tied at 9-9, the pressure in the Nagoya Kinjo-Futo Arena was mounting on both players - but it was the No.1 seed who was able to rise above the pressure of the opener, as he claimed the first 11-5.

Moving into the second, Yow Ng's form and confidence soared and he was able to pull away from the Indian No.1 - growing a healthy lead on the scoreboard, before winning the second 11-9.

And with a 2/0 lead, and one game away from history, the Malaysian continued to showcase his level to close out the tie 11-5 - becoming the first squash player in history to qualify for the LA28 Olympic Games.

With a place at LA28 confirmed, the new Men's Asian Games gold medallist, Yow Ng, said: "It feels amazing, I am still processing it and I think I will need to give it time to sink in.

"But I am more proud of today's performance than the Gold medal to be honest, as knowing that I can put up that kind of performance after a tough week, makes me feel really proud.

"I am so happy that I was able to enjoy the moment, as there was so much pressure on the occasion - there are so many expectations put on us, but today was all about staying focused right to the very end."

Joining Yow Ng in Los Angeles will be his teammate and world No.5 Sivasangari Subramaniam, who etched her name in the history books as she defeated world No.17 Anahat Singh in straight games.

Coming out of the blocks fastest, the Malaysian No.1 was able to quickly take control of the match - growing a strong lead over Singh, who was unable to handle the laser-focused 27-year-old from Kuala Lumpur, who secured the opener 11-4.

Heading into the second, Subramaniam's determined spirit continued to shine through, with eyes firmly set on the Asian Games title, claiming the second game 11-4.

With momentum in Subramaniam's corner, her form would continue into the third game, as despite teenager Singh's best efforts in the third, she was able to close out the tie, winning 11-7, to a massive roar from the Malaysian supporters.

Confirming her place at the LA28 Olympic Games, Subramaniam said: "There is always pressure in these types of matches, not only as the defending champion, because there was so much at stake, so I was just trying to put those emotions away.

"I am really happy that I was able to hide those emotions away and just try to play my best squash on-court, so being able to secure the gold medal is a really good feeling."

Meanwhile, in the Mixed Doubles competition, it was Hong Kong's Ka Yi Lee and Tang Ming Hong who secured the Gold medal, after an intense battle against their teammates Toby Tse and Matthew Lai.

Despite the gold and silver already confirmed for Hong Kong, the doubles pairs left nothing on the court, as they battled hard for a place on top of the podium. Lee and Tang were pushed to the limit in the opener, narrowly winning 11-8.

Heading into the second, Lee and Tang were able to build on their advantage as they quickly grew a 6-1 lead - a points gap that wouldn't be closed, as the 5/8 seeds would win the match 11-3.

"We are so happy to have got the Gold medal," said Lee and Tang later.

"Honestly, we arrived into this week with hardly any hopes of reaching the podium due to our seedings, so to be able to get through this together and come away with the Gold medal is unbelievable."