Darwin: Indian pair of Dipika Pallikal Karthik and Saurav Ghosal lost to Joelle King and Paul Coll's in the mixed doubles final of WSF World Doubles Squash Championships in Darwin, Australia on Thursday. The Kiwis rose to the occasion in fine style, despatching the higher-seeded duo 11-8, 11-8 to give double gold to New Zealand.
Partnering Amanda Landers-Murphy in the Women's Doubles final, world No.9 King, from Cambridge on North Island, beat home hopes Rachael Grinham & Donna Urquhart 11-7, 11-4. It was Grinham who, 12 years ago, won gold in both the Mixed and Women's finals in India.
Success in two of Thursday’s finals in the WSF World Doubles Squash Championships in Australia has led New Zealand's Joelle King to become the first player to win two gold medals in the same championships since 2004.
The climax of the World Squash Federation event took place at the Darwin Squash Centre in Darwin, where King went into both finals in a third-seeded pairing against the events' No.2 seeds.
"We thought we were in with a chance," said King after both triumphs. "I don't think we knew we could win two golds - but it's pretty good to take them back to New Zealand!"
Second seeds Alan Clyne & Greg Lobban faltered in an earlier qualifying round of the Men's Doubles when they went down to the third-seeded New Zealand pair.
But there was no stopping the Scots (pictured below in the medal ceremony) in the final where they dashed Australian hopes of a championship gold medal by beating the fourth-seeded pair David Palmer & Zac Alexander 11-8, 11-4.
RESULTS: WSF World Doubles Squash Championships, Darwin, Australia
Men's final:
[2] Alan Clyne & Greg Lobban (SCO) bt [4] David Palmer & Zac Alexander (AUS) 11-8, 11-4
Women's final:
[3] Joelle King & Amanda Landers-Murphy (NZL) bt [2] Rachael Grinham & Donna Urquhart (AUS) 11-7, 11-4
Mixed final:
[3] Joelle King & Paul Coll (NZL) bt [2] Dipika Pallikal Karthik & Saurav Ghosal (IND) 11-8, 11-8
