BARCELONA, 19 (EUROPA PRESS)
Squash players Marta Domínguez and Iker Pajares lead the Spanish national team's hopes for a medal at the European Championships, which will be held from August 20 to 23 in Chartres, France. The national team will have up to eight representatives seeking to confirm the Spanish team's "best form" in a sport that will be an Olympic sport for the first time in Los Angeles 2028.
Domínguez arrives at this European Championship in excellent form after winning a bronze medal at the recent World Games in Chengdu, China. The Galician player will start as the 5/8 seed, having finished sixth in the last edition and fourth in the tournament held three years ago.
In addition to Domínguez, the Spanish team will feature reigning national champion Cristina Gómez, who is seeded 9/16, as is Sofía Mateos. Noa Romero, who arrives after an Australian tour during which she won a total of four PSA titles, is seeded 17/32.
On the men's team, Pajares is the main force. The five-time Spanish champion and bronze medalist at the last European Championship will seek further success, starting as the third- and fourth-seeded team. Meanwhile, Edmon López and Iván Pérez, the national number three and four, respectively, start in the ninth and sixth-place spots, with the youngest of the group, Hugo Lafuente, starting in the seventh and third-place spots.
This European Championship will be held three years before squash debuts as an Olympic sport at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. This fact further motivates all the players to achieve a good result that will allow them to qualify for the Olympic Games.
"We didn't expect to be Olympic athletes, and now it would be a dream to be at the Games. It's a matter of years of work, and the idea is to do well in each tournament to achieve good results and then be able to be there," Domínguez said at the national team presentation held this Monday at the Polideportivo de la Luz in Tres Cantos, Madrid.
An appointment that comes at the "best moment" for Spanish squash. "It's the best moment for Spanish squash. There are so many of us now, there's more media attention, the sport is more widely televised, and in the coming years we're going to have a lot of media exposure," said Pajares, who hopes to achieve great results at this European Championship.
Overall, Egypt's Mostafa Asal is the number one seed and a big favorite. He will face off against New Zealander Paul Coll and brothers Mohamed and Marwan ElShorbagy. In the women's draw, Egypt's Nouran Gohar is defending her title, with her compatriot Nour El Sherbini, who has seven world titles under her belt, her main rival.
