Gul satisfied with refereeing duties

Pakistan squash coach proud to officiate women’s championship final.

KARACHI:

Pakistan squash head coach Jamshed Gul said that he was proud to witness history as Nicol David’s long supremacy in squash came to an end in the recently concluded Women’s World Squash Championship.

Gul took part in an event as referee and his error-free performance helped him to earn the right to officiate the final between England’s Laura Massaro and Nour el Sherbini.

World number two Massaro won the championship with scores of 11-7, 6-11, 11-9, 5-11 and 11-9 against the Egyptian in Penang, Malaysia and became the first Englishwoman in 15 years to achieve the feat. She also became the first female from England to hold the World and British Open squash titles simultaneously.

Meanwhile, living legend David, who has won seven world titles and numerous other championships, went down in the semi-finals against El Sherbini.

“It’s a pleasure to officiate a world championship final and witness history with Massaro winning the championship,” Gul told The Express Tribune.

“It was a great match because I’ve never seen a bigger crowd than the one I saw in Penang, not even in men’s encounters.”

‘David’s dominance has not ended yet’

Despite David suffering two major upsets at the British and World Opens, Gul feels that her legacy will not end anytime soon and that she still has it in her to come back and regain her place as the world champion.

“She may be 30 but her fitness level is great,” said Gul. “David has set such high standards that everyone expects her to win. But she is a human after all, and stress does take its toll on the body.”

Speaking about Massaro, Gul explained that her determination to win seemingly came from being second-best to David for a long time.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 2^nd, 2014.

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