ISM June18-web

JAMES WILLSTROP & JOELLE KING WIN
COMMONWEALTH GAMES GOLD
JAMESWILLSTROP&JOELLEKING
WINCOMMONWEALTHGAMESGOLD
It was third time lucky for two times runner-up James Willstrop who
won the Gold Medal in the Men’s Singles at the 2018 Commonwealth
Games at Oxenford Studios in Gold Coast, Australia, whilst Joelle King
ensured that England and New Zealand shared the glory with victory in
the final of the Women’s Singles.
Willstrop, the fourth seeded Englishman,
prevailed in straight games over New
Zealand’s No.2 seed Paul Coll.
Both players had endured arduous routes
to the final - Willstrop denying home
interest in the later stages by beating
top Australian Cameron Pilley in an
enthralling 95-minute quarter-final battle
and Coll surviving a 106-minute semi-final
clash with Welshman Joel Makin less than
24 hours before the final.
Willstrop was in imperious form in the
final, claiming his first straight games win
since the opening round by beating Coll
11-9 11-4 11-6 in just 47 minutes.
“It just clicked for me in the final,”
admitted the 34-year-old Englishman.
“It’s stuff you dream of. It’s one of the
most brilliant performances I’ve had in
my career. It just worked and it clicked. I
don’t know why, maybe the hours of solo
practice I’ve put in all my life.
“It’s an incredible thing and one of my
best performances. I love playing the
game and four years ago there were some
doubts about that. I can’t really process
it to be honest, being here with a Gold
Medal in the singles ...
“Is it my biggest title? I guess it is. I
reckon it probably is the best. It’s a
wonderful occasion - and the atmosphere
and everything around it adds to it.”
King became New Zealand’s first ever
Singles Gold Medallist when she beat
England’s Sarah-Jane Perry in a closefought
Women’s Singles final.
Fourth seed Perry had two games balls in
the first, but it was King who closed out
her fourth game ball to win the opener
16-14. The New Zealander opened a twogame
lead but Perry dug deep to draw
level and force a decider, but from eightall
in the fifth, it was King who moved
ahead to clinch a dramatic 16-14 11-8 6-11
11-13 11-8 victory in 78 minutes.
“It feels pretty good,” acknowledged
the Kiwi on winning her country’s first
squash Gold Medal. “We’ve had some
great names that have come through the
squash community from New Zealand and
16 | June 2018 INTERNATIONALSQUASHMAGAZINE
www.isportgroup.com/InternationalSquashMagazine