Squash player Sobhy Says: Drawing strength from setbacks

"Kungakhathaliseki ukuthi impilo ingijikela kanjani manje, ngiyazi ukuthi ngingadlula kukho."

U-Amanda Sobhy ubuyele emncintiswaneni kule sizini, waqeda iphupho lakhe elide lokulimala futhi wakha umfutho ngochungechunge lwemidlalo ehlaba umxhwele, okwaholela ekubeni yingxenye ebalulekile yeqembu lase-US elifinyelele kwi-WSF World Squash Team Championship yalo yesibili ilandelana.

Ku-World Squash Team Championships, umqhudelwano wokuqala womhlaba lapho imincintiswano yamadoda nabesifazane yayidlalwa khona ngesikhathi esisodwa, uSobhy ukhulume nethimba labezindaba mayelana nobuntu bakhe baseMelika-baseGibhithe, indlela inqubo yokululama ekuguleni kokudla kanye nemisipha emibili ye-Achilles ephukile emnike ngayo ingqondo engenakubhujiswa, nokuthi kungani angenza umlando owengeziwe kuma-Olimpiki ka-2028 eLos Angeles.

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U-Amanda Sobhy ulula isandla sakhe ukuze athole ibhola ngesikhathi esemsebenzini wamazwe ngamazwe ne-Team USA.

U-Amanda Sobhy akakhulanga enethemba lokulandela ezinyathelweni zabadlali abadumile be-squash base-US. Njengomdlalo ongavamile kakhulu odumile ezweni lonke, wawungekho nhlobo.

Kunalokho, iqhawe lakhe kwakunguSerena Williams, iqhawe lethenisi.

“Wayenamandla futhi enolaka, futhi amandla ayeyinto yami,” kusho uSobhy etshela i-Olympics.com ku-2024 World Teams Championships eHong Kong, eboniswa bukhoma ku-Olympics.com.

"Futhi wenza into yakhe nje. Wayengumncintiswano oqinile futhi lokho kwakuyinto engangifisa ukuba yiyo ngempela."

Esebenzisa lo mqondo, uSobhy waba ngumpetha wokuqala we-US we-squash world junior ngo-2010.

Ngemva kokuba ngumdlali oqeqeshiwe, wenza umlando owengeziwe njengomdlali wokuqala wase-US ukufinyelela kwabahlanu abaphezulu kwi-Professional Squash Association (PSA), ngo-2021.

Nokho, uSobhy wayenomqeqeshi we-squash eduze kwasekhaya.

Uyise wayemele iqembu lesizwe laseGibhithe, izwe lapho i-squash ijabulela isikhundla njengomdlalo omkhulu. Isizwe saseNyakatho Afrika sikhiqize ibhande elibonakala lingapheli labanqobi be-squash eminyakeni engamashumi amathathu edlule.

Akubanga isikhathi eside ngaphambi kokuba uSobhy aqale ukudlala futhi waphumelela kakhulu.

Naphezu kokufunda kwakhe ubuciko emaqenjini asemaphandleni e-US, izimpande zikaSobhy zaseGibhithe zamenza wangasatshiswa yidumela labadlali babo.

“Ubaba wethu wayesiyisa eGibhithe njalo ehlobo amasonto amahlanu futhi ngakhula ngidlala namaGibhithe kwelinye lamakilabhu ezemidlalo okuqala abizwa ngokuthi iHeliopolis, lapho kwakudlala khona u-Ali Farag, owayengumpetha wabesilisa kanye noRamy Ashour. Ngakho ngakhula ngibabukela bezilolonga,” eqhubeka.

"NgingumGibhithe ngokwegazi futhi nami ngiyisakhamuzi saseGibhithe ngakho ngiyayiqonda indlela yokudlala. Isitayela sami sixubene kancane nesitayela saseGibhithe kanye nesitayela saseNtshonalanga esihlelekile."

Inhlekelele ihlasele kabili ku-Amanda Sobhhy

Lesi sitayela esiyingqayizivele kanye nokuzethemba okunamandla kwenza uSobhy wajabulela ukukhuphuka okukhulu kwezinga labesifazane emhlabeni we-squash.

Ngo-2017, wayedlala i-squash engcono kakhulu emsebenzini wakhe lapho eshaywa kabi kakhulu.

Edlala emqhudelwaneni eColombia, waphuka umsipha we-Achilles emlenzeni wakhe wesobunxele.

Ngemva kwezinyanga eziyi-10 zokuvuselelwa okunzima, wabuya, ehlose ukubuyisa isikhathi esilahlekile. Kwalandela isicoco sesine se-US National kamuva ngalowo nyaka kanye nesikhundla esiphakeme emhlabeni sabathathu.

USobhy waqhubeka nale fomu enhle ezinkathini ezimbalwa ezalandela futhi wafika kwi-2023 Hong Kong Open enomoya wokuzethemba ngaphambi kokuba kuphinde kugadle inhlekelele.

Ngemva kokucindezela udonga lwangemuva ukuze athole ibhola kowamanqamu, waphuka umsipha we-Achilles emlenzeni wakhe wesokudla.

"Ngazi ngokushesha ukuthi kuyini. Futhi ukushaqeka ngakho cishe kuyingxenye enzima kakhulu engingayicabanga. Angikaze ngilindele ukuthi ukulimala okukhulu kangaka kuzophinde kwenzeke emsebenzini wami," kuvuma uSobhy.

"Imicabango yami yokuqala yayiyile: Ngenzeni ukuze ngifanelekele lokhu? Kungani lokhu kwenzeka kimi? Ngingumuntu omuhle. Ngisebenza kanzima."

Ngemva kokuthatha isikhathi esithile ukucubungula inkinga yakhe yakamuva, uSobhy wayazi ukuthi okuwukuphela kwendlela yokubhekana nalokhu kwakuwukushintsha umbono wakhe.

Ukuzihawukela kanye nentukuthelo kwathathelwa indawo yisinqumo sokubuya njengomdlali we-squash ongcono nakakhulu.

“Ngikwazile ukushintsha umbhalo ngiwubheke njengento enhle. Angikwazanga ukwenza i-rehab ngendlela ebengingathanda ngayo okokuqala, futhi manje senginethuba lokukwenza futhi. Ngakho-ke bengizobuya kangcono,” kusho yena.

"Ngingahlala ngithola incazelo kunoma yisiphi isimo esibi. Nganquma ukuthatha noma yiziphi izinto ezinhle engingazisebenzisa kulokhu okuhlangenwe nakho futhi ngingazivumeli ukuthi zonakalise umsebenzi wami. Ngangifuna ukuzibonakalisa ukuthi ngingabuya hhayi kanye, kodwa ngingakwenza kabili."

"Kwakulula ngandlela thile okwesibili ngoba ngangazi ukuthi yini engingayilindela futhi ngangingathatha izifundo engizifundile kusukela okokuqala bese ngizisebenzisa kule nqubo yokuvuselela. Kodwa ngesikhathi esifanayo, kwakunzima ngokwengqondo ngoba ngangazi ukuthi inqubo yokuvuselela inzima futhi inde kangakanani. Kodwa ngiyaziqhenya kakhulu ngokubuya kanye nendlela engibhekane ngayo nalolo hambo."

Ubufakazi bokusebenza kwakhe kanzima busesimeni esihle asijabulele selokhu abuya enkantolo ngoSepthemba kulo nyaka.

“Ibhokisi lamathuluzi okuhlangenwe nakho engingakusebenzisa noma nini lapho ngibhekene nesikhathi esinzima likhulu kakhulu. Akukho lutho olunzima kunalokhu engisanda kudlula kukho,” kusho yena.

"Kungiphoqe ukuthi ngizithembe kakhulu. Kungakhathaliseki ukuthi impilo ingijikijela ini manje, ngiyazi ukuthi ngingayinqoba. Kungenze ngaba namandla kakhulu kule nqubo. Kungenze ngafunda ukuzethemba kakhulu, ngakho-ke uma ngisesigabeni esinzima emdlalweni futhi ngizizwa ngikhathele, ngingakwazi ukusebenzisa izinto engidlule kuzo ngonyaka odlule ngokulimala kwami futhi ngisebenzise lawo mandla ukunginika amandla."

I-Squash ithandwa kakhulu emhlabeni wonke

Kusukela emdlalweni okhethekile kuya emdlalweni wama-Olympic, lo mdlalo usheshisa ukuvela kwawo ezinkundleni zokuxhumana kanye nomhlaba wangempela. Phakathi kokuzilibazisa nokuzijabulisa edolobheni kanye nokuncintisana enkundleni, ukunakwa okusha okuningi kugxile ku-squash.

Kuze kube sekuqaleni kwekhulu lama-20, i-squash yayidlalwa ezikoleni kuphela. Kwaze kwaba ngo-1907 lapho i-United States yasungula khona i-federation yokuqala ekhethekile ye-squash futhi yasungula imithetho yayo. Ngonyaka ofanayo, i-British Tennis and Racquet Sports Federation yasungula ikomidi elincane le-squash, elaliyisandulela se-British Squash Federation, eyasungulwa ngo-1928. Ngemva kokuba abadlali bezentengiselwano beqale ukwakha izinkundla zomphakathi ze-racquetball ngo-1950, lo mdlalo washeshe wathandwa, futhi mhlawumbe ekuqaleni kwawo-1880, inani labantu abadlala lo mdlalo landa kakhulu. Kuze kube yileso sikhathi, lo mdlalo wawuhlukaniswe ngamaqembu ama-amateur kanye namaqembu ochwepheshe. Iqembu lochwepheshe labadlali ngokuvamile lingumdlali oqeqeshwe ekilabhini ekhethekile.

Namuhla, i-squash idlalwa emazweni angu-140. Kulawa, amazwe angu-118 akha i-World Squash Federation. Ngo-1998, i-squash yaqala ukufakwa emidlalweni ye-13 yase-Asia eBangkok. Manje ingenye yemicimbi ye-World Sports Congress, i-African Games, i-Pan American Games kanye ne-Commonwealth Games.