On Monday, April 17th, the PSA World Tour announced that Peruvian Diego Elías became the new leader of the world rankings. The 26-year-old Peruvian athlete spoke exclusively with RPP Noticias after achieving this important recognition.
"I'm very happy. since last week I'm number one for the first time in my career, and it's also the first time a South American achieves this. It filled me with emotion and I'm happy to have achieved it," Elías said in an interview with RPP Deportes.
In addition, Elías gave details about the moment he found out the news: "Before starting the British Open, I had a better chance of being number one and it depended on some results. When the Egyptian was playing, I was training while watching the game, and it was incredible. At that moment, I couldn't believe it, I hadn't even won a match in the competition, it was strange to find out through someone else's result. It was difficult because I was in the middle of a championship."
Regarding the significance of this recognition, the national athlete added: "It has always been a dream for me, it was my goal. In recent years, I have been getting closer and closer, I have been among the top eight for a long time, then among the top four, and I always had faith. Being number one has always been my main goal because it's not just one tournament or a couple of tournaments, it's about being consistent throughout a year."
Diego Elías' upcoming competitions:
"In eight days, the World Championship begins in Chicago. It happens once a year, and it's the most important tournament. I haven't had time to celebrate being number one because I had to start training again and prepare for it. Then I have three more tournaments before the end of the season, and finally, I have the Pan American Games in Santiago," said the Peruvian athlete.
Finally, Diego Elías indicated that he hopes squash becomes an Olympic sport in the future: "Yes, I would like squash to become an Olympic sport before I retire. I hope to be able to compete there and win a medal for Peru."