MADRID, 18 (EUROPA PRESS)
The Spanish squash team presented this Monday the eight players, four men and four women, who will compete in the European Individual Championship in Chartres, France, between this Wednesday and Saturday, an event to which the national team is arriving in its "best form."
"This is the best time 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 Iker Pajares, five-time Spanish squash champion and bronze medalist at the last European Championship, at the national team presentation at the Polideportivo de la Luz in Tres Cantos.
The event was attended by José Luis Orizaola, president of the Royal Spanish Squash Federation (RFES), Borja Golán and Margaux Pitarch, national coaches, along with seven of Spain's eight representatives at the European Championships in Chartres: Iker Pajares, Iván Pérez, Edmón López, Hugo Lafuente, Marta Domínguez, Cristina Gómez, and Sofía Mateos. The last female member, Noa Romero, was unable to attend the event in Tres Cantos.
Squash will be an Olympic sport for the first time at the 2028 Los Angeles Games, so the players are preparing to participate in the biggest sporting event possible. "We didn't expect to be Olympic, and now it would be a dream to be at the Games. It's a work in progress over years, and the idea is to do well in each tournament to achieve good results and then be able to be there," said Marta Domínguez, bronze medalist last week at the World Games in Chengdu (China).
Edmon López, the 2019 Spanish champion, also expressed a similar opinion, saying that having the opportunity to "participate in the Olympic Games will help create role models and increase participation from the grassroots," something that will also serve to raise the "level" of squash in Spain, according to coach Borja Golán, who has been the best Spanish squash athlete in history (5th in the world and two-time European champion).
In this continental championship, despite being individual, players compete as part of a team, unlike the professional circuit tournaments held throughout the year, where they compete solo. "Seeing your team supporting you gives you extra motivation, and you give whatever it takes to be at your best. Having support at the level of your game always makes a huge difference," argued Cristina Gómez, the current Spanish champion.
Finally, Golan also emphasized the importance of playing squash as a team. "The most important thing that sport has given me is being able to celebrate successes as a team. You compete for the people who play squash in your country," the national team coach concluded.
