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Friday 45 Sports Friday, January 26, 2018 How Egyptian squash players dominate the sport globally 6 of the world’s top 10 male players are Egyptian CAIRO: Egyptian squash players are dominating four-time World Champion Amr Shabana, the first the sport globally, with coaches and their oppo- Egyptian to reach No 1 in 2006. Squash players nents saying their tight-knit community and freer strategize using the court’s four walls and get in- training techniques have given them a competitive credible speed from the rubber ball, whose fastest edge. Six of the world’s top 10 male players are recorded speed-by Squash Mad-is 178 miles per Egyptian, while four Egyptian women are in the hour. women’s top 10. The current world No 1 is France’s Gregory Gaultier, but the four players ‘Sharp like our driving’ after him in the rankings are all Egyptian. Shabana compared it to driving in Cairo’s Alan Thatcher, editor and publisher of the sometimes chaotic streets. “It’s like our driving: website Squash Mad, said not only do they “hit Under pressure, our decision-making process is winners”, Egyptians had introduced a more dy- very sharp,” said Shabana. Fewer training restric- namic style of squash tions allow players to de- that is “amazingly enter- velop their own style, said taining”. “The old style of Shabana, who retired at game was about the long Egypt 36 and is now advising attritional rallies, hun- introduces current Egyptian players. dreds of shots, up and “We must teach the jun- down the side wall, but a more dynamic iors the sport’s proper CAIRO: Egyptian world No 3 squash player Ali Farag (L), 25, trains during a session in Wadi Degla sports club now largely thanks to the basics... but then we give in Cairo. —AFP Egyptians you’re seeing style of squash them space for creativ- a new style of squash: at- ity,” said Darwish, who tacking squash,” said took the No 1 title from pushing everyone to improve at a younger age, couples. These include No 3 Ali Farag and No 7 Thatcher. Shabana in 2009, now leading Egypt’s largest said Shabana, who himself played in men’s tour- Nour El Tayeb, who won the 2017 US Open titles This wave of success was boosted with local squash academy at Wadi Degla club. naments when he was just 12. on the same day. Established players also pass on icon Ahmed Barada’s successes at Al-Ahram In- Egyptians had previous international success their knowledge, said Farag. “We had Amr Sha- ternational Championship-which from 1996 to in the sport, which was introduced by the British ‘Best of the best’ bana, Karim Darwish, and Ramy Ashour, who 2001 was held with the stunning backdrop of the occupiers in the 1930s, though the seeds of this “We have a squash tournament every two never spared any advice, always training with us, Giza pyramids. He reached the final in 1996, and current era of domination were planted in the weeks,” said women’s No 5 Nouran Gohar. Even helping us improve,” said Farag, adding theirs is a took the title in 1998. “This was a big shift for us, 1990s. It came following and as a result of a slump in training, “you’re playing against the best of the “close-knit community”. Women have also to believe that we can become champions,” said in the game in Egypt in the 1970s, said Shabana. best outside of tournaments,” said Rod Gilmour, achieved dominance, with 2017 World Champion former World No 1 Karim Darwish. Barada retired Lacking enough players, juniors competed with co-author of Jahangir Khan:555. Not only do they Raneem El Welily reaching No. 1 in 2015, a spot at 24, but his successes inspired others, including men, and men with women, to fill tournaments, train together, the community has several married now held by Nour El Sherbini. —AFP dol the door with the former European Axe-wielding champions languishing in 17th place on 15 points. “The very first thing we need to do is to Hollerbach present ourselves as a unit so that we have order and stability in our game,” Hollerbach Kuwait Arabian hoping to cut told reporters. “We will try to do that this week. I am having a lot of talks. I feel the Horse festival team is a bit insecure.” Hollerbach is no Hamburg losses stranger to difficult missions, having taken Wuerzburger Kickers, with the lowest budget kicks off Feb 2 BERLIN: Former Hamburg SV defender in the fourth division, up to the second divi- Bernd Hollerbach will need to live up to his sion in consecutive seasons from 2015. He KUWAIT: Kuwait Festival for the Arabian Horse nickname of “Holleraxe” if he is to whip the had earlier won the Bundesliga as Felix Ma- 2018, sponsored by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, will kick off Bundesliga club back into shape and help gath’s assistant at VfL Wolfsburg in 2009 and on February 2. The festival, due at Bait Al-Arab them avoid relegation as they prepare to then followed the same coach to Schalke. (House of Arabs), will include the Seventh Inter- face RB Leipzig tomorrow. Hollerbach, a Hard-working and rugged-earning 95 289 studs would partake in the Arabian Horse national Championship for Arabian Horses Festival and 172 others in the Egyptian horses’ trained butcher who was known for his no- yellow cards in his 222 Bundesliga matches nonsense approach during a seven-year Beauty Contest, scheduled on February 2-3, said category. according to league records-Hollerbach des- playing stint at Hamburg, took over from Abdullah Al-Braihi, the event manager at a news Participation in this year’s festival is higher perately needs to plug a leaky defense that sacked coach Markus Gisdol this week with conference held at Bait Al-Arab yesterday. by 20 percent as compared to the first champi- a clear mandate of maintaining the club’s 100 has conceded 28 goals in 19 games. “What is There will be other activities namely the onship and 35 percent in contrast to the second, percent Bundesliga record. now important is to be compact and not Third All Nations Cup Straight Egyptians, due he said, alluding to greater interest from the Hamburg are the only side to have played make it easy for opponents to score,” Holler- on February 16-17, said Al-Braihi who lauded His GCC countries and easy registration. Bouresli every season in the top division since its cre- bach said, with third-placed RB Leipzig Highness the Amir for his continuous support for said 17 ECAHO-accredited referees, nine for the ation in 1963 but the former champions have boasting the league’s third best strike force the sport. Efforts by horse breeders from Arabian festival and eight for the Egyptian com- been involved in two relegation playoffs in with 31 goals. “I think (my arrival) may help Kuwait, sisterly and friendly states to promote petition, would be present, predicting sensa- the last four seasons and narrowly escaped some players release the energy we need the sport have been helpful for the event suc- tional contests and noting that the awards would another one in the last campaign. It has not right now.” At the other end of the table, cess, he said alluding as a fruit of these efforts a exceed one million dollars . Nasser Al-Ghaith, been much different this season after they leaders Bayern Munich are cruising towards decision by the European Conference of Arab member of the committee, said the festival man- opened with two straight wins before slip- their record-extending sixth consecutive Horse Organizations (ECAHO), lifting the festival agers, led by Sheikha Sara Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, ping into an all-too-familiar slump. They Bundesliga title, having already carved out a rating from B to A. Meanwhile, Nasser Bouresli, are keen on facilitating all procedures related to managed just two more victories in their next 16-point advantage as they prepare to host a member of the festival higher committee, said the activity. —KUNA 17 matches before club bosses showed Gis- Hoffenheim tomorrow. —Reuters.