Two young players from the Peshawar captured gold medals at the Asian Junior Squash Championship in China, marking a significant milestone for Pakistan’s resurgence in the sport.

In the Under-15 final, Peshawar’s Ahmad Rayan Khalil delivered a dominant performance to defeat Malaysia’s Vedoran Rotheran 3-0 and secure the Asian junior title.

Pakistan added a second gold medal in the Under-17 category, where Nauman Khan outclassed India’s Shiven Agarwal in straight games to become the Asian Under-17 champion.

The twin triumphs ended a prolonged title drought for Pakistan in the Asian junior circuit and highlighted the growing strength of grassroots squash programmes in Peshawar.

Former world champion Qamar Zaman and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Squash Association President Dawood Khan hailed the achievements as a major boost for the revival of squash in the country.

Dawood Khan said the association had continued to organise monthly tournaments despite limited resources to provide young players with regular competitive opportunities.

“These victories reflect the hard work and commitment of our young athletes and coaches,” he said, expressing confidence that both champions would continue to excel at the international level.

Qamar Zaman described the success of Ahmad Rayan Khalil and Nauman Khan as a positive sign for the future of Pakistani squash, adding that the results demonstrated the effectiveness of grassroots training initiatives in Peshawar.

He urged the provincial government to extend greater support to the sport, noting that the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Squash Association had not received its annual grant for the past six years.

“Despite financial constraints, producing two Asian champions is nothing short of remarkable,” he said, reaffirming the association’s commitment to training and developing young talent.