India's squash prodigy Anahat Singh has deferred her admission to Harvard University to pursue qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, where squash will make its historic debut as an Olympic sport. The 18-year-old, who recently became the first Indian to win the World Junior Squash Championship, said the once-in-a-generation nature of the opportunity left her with little real choice.

The Decision to Wait

'I mean, of course, it was a bit difficult, but I knew that this year was really important for me squash-wise. And, you know, I can go to college next year, but the chances of coming into the Olympics may not happen again,' Anahat said. 'So I think just, I mean, thinking about it in that aspect, it wasn't that hard,' she added.

Squash has never featured at the Olympics before LA 2028, making the upcoming Games a singular milestone for the sport globally — and for Indian squash in particular. For a player of Anahat's trajectory, deferring Harvard by a year is a calculated bet with potentially historic returns.

Qualification Path: Asian Games First

Anahat has identified the Asian Games as her immediate priority on the road to Olympic qualification, while acknowledging that multiple qualification routes exist. Despite being spoken of as one of India's potential medal contenders for LA 2028, she is deliberately keeping her focus narrow.

'I'd say it's motivating. I mean, first I have to qualify for the Olympics. I'm not even qualified yet, so I think just taking it step by step and, you know, first focusing on the Asian Games and, you know, there are other ways to make it to the Olympics as well,' she said.

Now ranked inside the world's top 20, Anahat has been clear about the sequence of goals. 'My first main aim is just to make it and qualify for the Olympics and then focus on training towards it and win a medal there,' she said.

Seniors Who Shaped Her Game

Anahat credits the generation of Indian squash players who preceded her for much of her development. She named Joshna Chinappa, Saurav Ghosal, and Dipika Pallikal as the seniors she has looked up to throughout her career.

'I'd say my idols would be my seniors like Joshna, Saurav and Deepika. I mean, I can't really pick one of them,' she said. 'I've grown up playing all the events with them, and I've seen them outside the court, and I've gotten a chance to learn so much from them as well. So it's, you know, they're all really, really special,' she added.

Inspiring the Next Generation

Anahat is now beginning to occupy for younger Indian girls the same inspirational role those seniors held for her. Her World Junior Championship triumph — achieved after several attempts at the tournament — along with her Squash On Fire Open title and top-20 ranking, have made her a visible role model for the sport in India.

'I mean, I'm really, really happy that a lot of young girls want to take up squash, hopefully, and they're able to do well in sports, and it's really special to me. So hopefully it can be like that,' she said.

With her junior career now behind her, Anahat's transition into consistent senior competition begins in earnest — and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics looms as the defining target of that next chapter.