PETALING JAYA: National squash player Aira Azman is looking to enjoy her second Asian Games with much of the spotlight on defending champion and teammate S. Sivasangari in Japan.
The squash competition begins on Wednesday at the Nagoya Kinjo-Futo Arena.
World No. 21 Aira said Sivasangari’s presence has taken some of the pressure off her shoulders.
“Of course, every player wants to aim for the gold medal because it offers a spot at the Los Angeles Olympic Games,” said Aira.
“However, I don’t feel too much pressure because I still have more than a year to improve my ranking and try to qualify for the Olympics.”
A field of 16 players will get to compete in the men’s and women’s singles but the top eight-ranked players will get to qualify earlier before the deadline in May 2028.
The 21-year-old Aira believes she is in the best form she has been.
“Since we knew that the Asian Games would be the first Olympic qualification event, we have been working hard to prepare.
“So far, I think this is the best form I’ve been,” said Aira, who reached the quarter-finals of the Hangzhou Asian Games before losing to Hong Kong’s Chan Sin Yuk.
Aira said she had learnt valuable lessons in her early defeats at the recent London Classic (second round) and Qatar Classic (first round).
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