Puri hails Anahat Singh's historic Asian Games squash silver
Synopsis
Anahat Singh claimed silver in Women's Singles squash at the 2026 Asian Games, becoming the first Indian woman to reach the final and only the third Indian to win a squash medal at the Games. Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri hailed it as a momentous, historic achievement.
Key Takeaways
Anahat Singh won the Silver medal in Women's Singles squash at the 2026 Asian Games .
She is the first Indian woman ever to reach the Women's Singles final at the Asian Games in squash.
She is only the third Indian in history to win a medal in squash at the Asian Games.
Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri publicly congratulated her on 27 September 2026 , calling the achievement 'momentous'.
The milestone reflects the growing pipeline of Indian squash talent supported by bodies including SAI , PSPB , and the Khelo India scheme.
History was made on the squash courts of the 2026 Asian Games when Anahat Singh clinched the Silver medal in Women's Singles — becoming the first Indian woman ever to reach that stage, and only the third Indian to win a squash medal at the Asian Games. Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri was among the first to mark the moment, taking to X on Sunday, 27 September 2026 to salute the young champion's achievement.
A barrier broken, a legacy written
The numbers frame just how rare this moment is. Squash has been part of the Asian Games programme for decades, yet only two Indians had ever stood on its medal podium — until Anahat Singh changed that. Her silver does not just add a medal to India's tally; it rewrites what Indian women's squash believes is possible.
Puri's post captured the weight of the achievement precisely: 'first Indian woman to reach this stage and only the third Indian to win a medal in squash.' Two firsts packed into a single afternoon on court.
Who is Anahat Singh?
Anahat Singh is a teenage prodigy who emerged through India's competitive squash circuit and built her international profile at a remarkable pace. Her aggressive baseline game and mental resilience under pressure have drawn comparisons to seasoned professionals well beyond her years. This Asian Games run — through rounds that would test any elite player — confirmed she belongs on the continental stage.
The Sports Authority of India (SAI) and the Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB), both tagged in Puri's post, have been central to her development, providing structured training support and international exposure that competitive squash demands.
Khelo India's pipeline bearing fruit
Anahat's medal is also a data point in a longer story. The Khelo India programme, launched in 2017 by the Central government, was designed exactly for this: build a grassroots pipeline deep enough to surface talent in non-cricket disciplines and carry it all the way to the Asian Games podium. Squash, with its demand for elite coaching and premium court infrastructure, has historically been a sport for the privileged few. Targeted academies and international exposure drives under successive government schemes have worked to broaden that base.
The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, also tagged in the minister's post, has steadily scaled funding for individual-sport athletes over the past decade — and today's silver is the kind of return that makes the case for continued investment.
A minister's salute from an unlikely corner
That it was the Petroleum Minister, not a sports official, who led the public congratulations speaks to Puri's personal engagement with Indian sporting achievement — a consistent thread across his social media presence. His post described Anahat's journey as driven by 'fighting spirit, determination, and perseverance' — words that resonate beyond sport when applied to a young woman smashing through a ceiling no Indian had touched before.
For squash in India, this is not a ceiling broken so much as a door blown open. The question now is how many young players — watching Anahat's silver flash across their screens — decide to pick up a racquet for the first time.
Point of View
Scheme-backed investment in non-cricket disciplines is compounding at the elite level. The Khelo India pipeline, now nearly a decade old, is producing athletes who can break through at the Asian Games — the continental proving ground before the Olympics. For the BJP government, which has consistently used sports achievements to underline its 'New India' narrative, a teenage girl rewriting the record books in a traditionally elite sport carries symbolic weight well beyond the medal count. The next policy test is whether this moment translates into measurably expanded squash infrastructure at the district level.
NationPress
27 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Anahat Singh and what did she win at the 2026 Asian Games?
Anahat Singh is an Indian squash prodigy who won the Silver medal in Women's Singles at the 2026 Asian Games, becoming the first Indian woman to reach that stage and only the third Indian ever to win a squash medal at the Games.
Why is Anahat Singh's Asian Games silver historic?
It is historic on two counts: she is the first Indian woman to reach the Women's Singles final in squash at the Asian Games, and she is only the third Indian of any gender to win a medal in squash at the tournament.
Who congratulated Anahat Singh from the Indian government?
Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri congratulated Anahat Singh on 27 September 2026, calling her achievement 'momentous' and praising her 'fighting spirit, determination, and perseverance'.
What is the Khelo India scheme and how does it relate to squash?
Khelo India is a Central government scheme launched in 2017 to promote grassroots sports and identify talent across disciplines including squash. It has contributed to building the pipeline of athletes who compete at events like the Asian Games.
Where are the 2026 Asian Games being held?
The 2026 Asian Games are scheduled to be hosted by Japan.
