Joelle King was the toast of the New Zealand squash this evening after coming away from the Commonwealth Games with gold and silver medals.
King, the rising star of New Zealand squash, teamed with Jaclyn Hawkes to win the womens doubles. Then she and Martin Knight lost a long, tough final of the mixed doubles.
In the womens doubles, King and Hawkes beat the English pairing of Jenny Duncalf and Laura Massaro 11-9, 11-10 in a knife-edge encounter. After trailing 10-6 in the second game, King and Hawkes peeled off five straight points to seal the match.
King had only the briefest of breaks before she was back on court for the mixed doubles final. It began promisingly when she and Knight took the first game from Australians Kasey Brown and Cameron Pilley 11-8. But gradually the Australians took control and they won the next two games 11-7, 11-5.
Even so it was an excellent Commonwealth Games performance by the squash team, especially 22-year-old King, who won her first national title last month.
She said afterwards that she had privately hoped to win a medal in Delhi and could scarcely believe she has a gold and a silver.
Its unbelievable, really. Ill cherish this moment for the rest of my life.
King said that by the end of the mixed doubles her heavy fortnight had caught up with her.
It was probably more mental at the end. I was so excited to with the gold with Jackie, but then to turn around and try to stay calm and start again in the mixed finalthat was difficult.
King said she was extremely encouraged by her results in Delhi.
In the singles, I was seeded 12th and got into the last eight, then nearly beat the world No 3. It has given me a lot of confidence.
The Cambridge player has a world ranking of 21st at present, but if she can maintain the standard she showed in Delhi she is a likely top 10 player. After a short stop at home, she has tournaments in Hong Kong and Doha lined up.
Besides King, the rest of the New Zealand squash team have also produced fine form. Most notably Knight, after a narrow and disappointing loss in the singles, was a rock in the mixed doubles and Hawkes, after reaching the quarter-finals of the singles, was extremely steady in the doubles.
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