Squash Star Nouran Gohar Opens Up About Finding Meaning Through Motherhood at Her Career's Peak

Nouran Gohar never imagined herself competing on the professional squash circuit as a mother. She originally thought she would play until she was 31 or 32, then hang up her racquet to focus on growing her family with her husband, Olympic fencer Ziad El Sissy. Yet at 28 years old, she is ready to return to the PSA World Tour at the upcoming Qatar Classic, just five months after giving birth to her daughter Leyla.

Gohar was ranked No 1 in the world when she stepped away from competition after the Egyptian Open last September, having found out she was two months pregnant during the tournament. While on maternity leave, the Egyptian followed a strict plan to stay in shape with every intention of returning for the start of the 2026-27 campaign. Although complications forced her to stop training during the final two months of pregnancy, she was back in the gym doing breathwork and light training just two and a half weeks post-delivery under the guidance of her fitness trainer.

Reflecting on her comeback, Gohar told The National, “I was telling Ziad, actually, I feel like this is not my body. It's someone else’s. Like my body feels super different. It was something that I've never felt like before at all. And I had to accept the fact that this is how it's going to feel. I'm going to feel sore from very little things, like things that you would laugh at. Just for five lunges, for example, I would be super sore the next day, like crazy sore. But it gets better, if you follow a certain plan and you have the right people beside you.”

Four weeks after giving birth, Gohar returned to the squash court for solo hitting, and she is now putting the finishing touches on her game ahead of the platinum event in Qatar beginning on September 12. She consulted a pelvic floor specialist and worked hard to maintain her fitness during pregnancy, noting that her optimistic timeline has gone smoothly so far.

The decision to pause a thriving career can be difficult, and for Gohar, it came at a time when she was achieving great results but struggling to find deeper meaning. Describing her successful 2024-25 campaign, she explained that winning no longer brought the same happiness, leaving her questioning the intense sacrifices athletes make. Despite these doubts and the approaching LA 2028 Olympic debut for squash, she knew she wasn't ready to retire, instead feeling that a break and motherhood would provide the renewed purpose she needed.

While squash has fewer competing mothers compared to tennis, historical examples like Natalie Grinham and fellow Egyptian Nour El Tayeb, who travelled the tour with her daughter Farida, served as major inspiration. Gohar now plans to travel with Leyla and her parents, hoping to prove that having a family does not mean the end of a professional athletic career.

During her time away, Gohar enjoyed watching matches as a spectator, observing the fierce rivalries between top players like Hania El Hammamy and Amina Orfi from a new perspective. Now adjusting to her new reality where her daughter comes first, Gohar approaches her return to the tour like a marathon rather than a sprint, with ultimate goals of reclaiming the world No 1 ranking, winning another world championship, and competing in the Olympics.