The U.S. squash team poses on the medal podium at the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games on July 17, 2015.
The U.S. women’s team capped off a record week for Team USA at the Pan American Games by defeating hosts Canada to win the team gold medal Friday night at Direct Energy Center in Toronto.
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Two, three-game victories by Olivia Blatchford, individual silver medalist, and Amanda Sobhy, individual and doubles gold medalist, denied Canada two gold medal teams in front of a packed arena.
“I was just in the zone,” Sobhy said, “I feel like I couldn’t feel my legs tonight and I was going to do whatever came to mind and play instinctively.”
Blatchford first defeated Hollie Naughton 11-4, 12-10, 11-8 in twenty-five minutes. Sobhy followed on court to clinch her third gold medal this week against Samantha Cornett, 11-3, 11-2, 11-8, in twenty-three minutes.
The team gold medal means the U.S. finishes on top of the overall squash medal standings with six, which also breaks the previous Team USA record of four total medals in 2011.
“I could not be happier for our players,” said Paul Assaiante, women’s head coach and Ganek Family US Squash Head National Coach. “Amanda was the star of the event with three Gold medals, Olivia a Gold and Silver and Nat two Golds. All in all a shining success for those who competed here and for their families and for those back home in the U.S. who supported us.”
2015 is the first edition of the Pan American Games in which each Team USA player brings home a medal. A men’s team bronze, and doubles bronze for Chris Hanson & Chris Gordon add to the women’s four medals.
Amanda Sobhy’s three gold medals are a U.S. and tournament record, making the Harvard graduate the first woman to win three gold medals in one year since doubles was added to the Pan American program in 2011.
The 2015 Games were the first for Sobhy, Chris Hanson, and Todd Harrity, all of whom are recent college graduates turned squash professionals.
Blatchford, Harrity, and Hanson are the first Team USA players to compete in the Pan American Games with the support of the US Squash Elite Athlete Program.
