Historic Triumph: Malaysia's Eain and Sivasangari Secure LA28 Olympic Berths with Asian Games Gold

Eain Yow Ng defeated India’s Abhay Singh in Nagoya, Japan, on September 27, 2026. Malaysia’s Eain Yow Ng and Sivasangari Subramaniam have made history by becoming the first squash players to qualify for the Summer Olympics after securing gold medals at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.

The defending champions triumphed in the men’s and women’s finals on Sunday, earning coveted tickets to the 2028 Los Angeles Games, where squash will make its historic Olympic debut. Squash is among a select group of sports at Aichi-Nagoya where winning a gold medal guarantees automatic qualification for the upcoming Olympics.

Both Eain and Sivasangari successfully defended their titles throughout their campaigns without dropping a single game. Their stellar victories brought Malaysia's gold medal count to five and six. World number 18 Eain dominated India’s Abhay Singh with scores of 11-9, 11-5, 11-5 in a 33-minute match at the Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena, becoming the first Malaysian athlete to qualify for the Olympics.

Shortly after, world number five Sivasangari joined her compatriot by delivering a swift victory in the women’s final against India’s Anahat Singh. She outclassed Singh, the world number 17, with a score of 11-4, 11-4, 11-7 in a mere 23 minutes to claim the gold.

Earlier in the tournament, Singh, the world junior champion, staged an impressive semifinal comeback from two sets down to defeat Japan’s Satomi Watanabe with scores of 9-11, 11-13, 12-10, 11-6, and 11-3. Reflecting on the match, the 18-year-old stated it was the best win of her career.

She had already made history prior to Sunday's match by becoming the first Indian woman to reach a singles final at the Asian Games. Meanwhile, Pakistan secured additional bronze medals as third seed Noor Zaman defeated compatriot Ashab Irfan 3-0 in the bronze medal match, while Watanabe claimed a 3-1 victory over Hong Kong’s Sin Yuk Chan.