Tears spur Donna
DONNA Urquhart remembers shedding a tear after winning a Commonwealth Games medal half a world away from home.
After collecting bronze in the women’s doubles at the squash with Kasey Brown in Delhi in 2010, Urquhart received a text from her brother back in Australia.
“I remember when the medal ceremony happened it was about 3am in Australia and I got a text from my brother saying: ‘I can’t go back to sleep, I’m so excited for you after watching you on the TV with your medal’,” Urquhart said.
“I remember crying reading that text because it was just such a nice feeling to know that at home they were so proud of me.”
The memories came flooding back for Urquhart as she surveyed the show court at the Oxenford Studios, the Games squash venue.
A product of the northern NSW coastal town of Yamba, Urquhart will be surrounded by family and friends when she takes part in singles, doubles and mixed doubles during the Games. “It’s a dream come true, it’s so exciting,” she said.
“I’ve been looking forward to it for so long, the idea of it, that now it’s here, I can’t believe it’s happening. I’m pinching myself a bit.”
Playing in front of so many people she knew was daunting but Urquhart said she was ready.
“It’s overwhelming or a lot of pressure but that pressure is what you put on yourself, so you work on ways of controlling your emotions and how that feels,” she said.
“I think the overwhelming emotion for me at the moment is just excitement. I’m so pumped to have them here watching.”
Urquhart was joined at Oxenford yesterday by Malaysia’s Nicol David, the former world No.1 and two-time gold medallist preparing for another tilt at the title in her sixth Games.
“I’m just really thrilled to be back here for my sixth Commonwealth Games and just being part of the Malaysian team and representing my country in a Games like this,” David said.
Tickets to the squash are available for all sessions.