COMMONWEALTH GAMES
A tearful Joelle King was stunned in the semifinals of the women’s squash singles, admitting she went “mentally walkabouts” during the match.
The defending champion was upset by world No 20 Hollie Naughton, winning the first game before falling apart in the deciding fourth.
King had never lost a game against the Canadian in four previous meetings but had no answer after the little-fancied Naughton had crushed her in the second before edging a crucial third.
The Kiwi was eventually dispatched 7-11, 11-3, 11-9, 11-1, consigned to the bronze-medal match and left unable to defend the title she won on the Gold Coast.
“I’m absolutely gutted,” King said. “You can’t take it away from Hollie — she capitalised on everything that I wasn’t able to do out there. It just wasn’t good enough.”
King, a six-time Commonwealth Games medallist, had shown signs of vulnerability in her quarter-finals before prevailing in a titanic tussle.
The 33-year-old later apportioned some of the blame for her semifinal performances on the exertions of that match, having been pushed to her limit by world No 28 Lucy Turmel.
“I think yesterday, probably emotionally and mentally, took a little bit more out of me than I would’ve liked,” King said. “Physically I felt okay, but when you’re not sharp mentally, you’re a little bit slower to the ball, you’re not seeing the ball quite as well and you’re not able to hit your targets.”
Those mental struggles were especially evident in the fourth game, when King’s quest for a fourth Commonwealth Games gold medal was on the line.
Her head noticeably dropped in the game as she lost the first nine points, essentially ending the contest. Asked what had gone wrong after starting strongly, King began to explain before cutting short her post-match interview in tears.
“Just mentally walkabouts,” she said. “I felt like I was really in and out of zones, I could hear a lot of noise that was happening and things like that.”
King had little time to recover ahead of today’s bronze-medal match, before she begins doubles playtomorrow. She will team with Amanda LandersMurphy in over India’s Saurav Ghosal. Coll showed confidence and flair in winning 11-9, 11-4, 11-1, and will now play world No 7 Joel Makin of Wales in the final.
After continuing a standout 18 months that has taken him to the top of world squash, Coll expressed support for his defeated team-mate and said watching King made him even more motivated for his match. “I’m gutted for her, but it takes nothing away from who Joelle is,” Coll said. “She’s led our team from the front for over 10 years, winning medals left and right. “She’ll bounce back and I’m looking forward to playing with her in the mixed doubles. She’s so strong, man, I don’t think anyone really knows how strong she is and what she puts herself through for New Zealand.”