A thrilling victory by Andrew Douglas, a junior on the men’s squash team, propelled Team USA to its first-ever team gold medal in men’s squash at the XVIII Pan American Games held recently in Lima, Peru.
Facing Alfredo Avila of top-seeded Mexico, the former No. 35 ranked player in the world, in the final match of the team semifinal, Douglas came back from a 2-1 deficit to advance Team USA to its first men’s team squash final.
In the gold medal match against Andres Felipe Herrera of Colombia, Douglas won 11-4, 6-11, 11-6, 11-8.
Speaking with US Squash after the match, teammate Chris Hanson praised Douglas for his mature performances in high pressure situations.
“I am still in utter shock,” Hanson said. “I wish I had his composure when I was 20. It’s just unbelievable what he did tonight and what we’ve done as a team. I’m speechless.”
Held every four years, the 2019 Pan American Games featured 6,668 athletes representing 49 countries in North and South America competing in 39 sports and 419 medal events between July 24-Aug. 11. This year’s games were the largest in Pan American Games history.
Douglas, from Brooklyn, New York, is a two-time First-Team All-American selection and a two-time First-Team All-Ivy awardee.
