Squash has a new king. And he’s Peruvian. Diego Elías has recently risen to the top of the world in a sport historically dominated by Egypt. Born in Lima, he is the new face of a booming sport. Red Bull, Adidas and Dunlop sponsor it. He has been a professional since the age of 16 and plays between 15 and 20 tournaments a year. The ‘Puma’ tells in an interview with EFE in Chicago what the world number one’s life is like.

Son of José Manuel Elías, Peruvian national squash champion, Diego grew up in the Lima neighborhood of Miraflores and trained at Club Terrazas. In a few years, he went from junior tournaments to the professional circuit. He now lives in Boca Raton (Florida) and travels to five continents to play tournaments. The last one he attended, the PSA World Championship this week in Chicago, distributed $1 million in prize money between the men’s and women’s draws.

Six hours of training a day, the competitive spirit inherited from his family and the help of great coaches like the Canadian Jonathon Power helped him achieve his dream of being number one in the world.

“I started playing squash very young in Miraflores, in Lima, my father played in this club for a long time, he was a national champion and that’s where my interest was born. I started playing junior, South American, American and then international tournaments and since the age of 16 I have been a professional,” Elías said in an interview with EFE.

?? The king of squash comes from Peru.

?? @diegoelias96 reached the top of the world in a sport historically dominated by Egypt. You can charge up to $45,000 in a tournament.

?? @A_Monto chatted with the ‘Puma’ in Chicago??

?? #EFESportBusiness
?? https://t.co/jCFTdrqmhf pic.twitter.com/jk9BJDjgX0

– EFE Sports (@EFEdeportes) May 12, 2023

The first

He recently broke Egyptian dominance in squash and is the first South American player capable of reaching the top of the world rankings.

“Coming from Peru is not easy, it was a lot of sacrifices, living abroad, traveling a lot. I had many coaches from many places who supported me. It was amazing to Reaching number one was a dream come true, I’m taking advantage of it. The power of squash is Egypt, England too, France,” assured Elías.

He plays between fifteen and twenty tournaments per season and always travels with his father, who also follows him in the long daily training sessions.

“I train, between physical preparation, squash and therapies, about five or six hours a day. Between physical prevention and injury prevention, I train for a few hours, about two hours of squash and a few hours of therapy”, explains the ‘Puma’.

The multinationals

At 26, Elías is an absolute reference in squash and an essential profile for promoting this sport in Latin America.

It still rivals a Red Bull bandana, red and white like the Peruvian flag. His racquet is Dunlop and his kit is sponsored by Adidas.

These multinationals are joined by other brands such as Canadian Penguin Pickup or Expression Network, among others.

“We’re going bit by bit, but since becoming number one just three weeks ago, I’ve mostly been preparing for the tournament in Chicago, trying to get away from it all and be mentally prepared. “, admits Elias.

The PSA World Championship in Chicago is the most important tournament of the squash season and this year it has distributed a total of one million dollars, 500,000 for the men’s circuit and 500,000 for the women’s circuit.

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#AndeanNews ?? Peruvian Diego Elías has been officially named world number 1 in squash by the PSA World Tour. ?? https://t.co/ZENVUUd0hW pic.twitter.com/Bu5nC6kEEp

— Andean Agency (@Agencia_Andina) April 17, 2023

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Photo: ANDINA/Heritage pic.twitter.com/HV3c4AWUJL

— Andean Agency (@Agencia_Andina) May 12, 2023

(END) EFE/RES

Published: 05/12/2023