Diego Elías is the first South American to win the most prestigious trophy in squash. GETTY IMAGES

The Peruvian triumphed over Mostafa Asal in the final, while Nouran Gohar beat Nour El Sherbini in Cairo. Elías has made history: he is the first South American to win the most prestigious trophy in squash.

The final night at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Cairo will be one for the books. Diego Elías, currently ranked fourth in the world, defeated world number three Asal 11-6, 11-5, 12-10 in 61 minutes in front of his home crowd.

The 27-year-old, from Lima, made history by becoming the first non-Egyptian to win the PSA World Championship since Frenchman Gregory Gaultier in 2015. His victory came 24 hours after he ended a six-match losing streak. He also ended world number one Ali Farag's run of three consecutive world titles.

"I can't believe it, it's been a dream week from the start and I'm super happy to have my whole team here and for all the people supporting me back home," said Elías after winning his 18th PSA title. "It's going to be huge [in South America], it's going to be huge in Peru for all the people who have supported me all these years. To be honest, I don't know how I feel at the moment, I haven't processed it yet, but I'm very happy," said Elías.


Meanwhile, world number two Gohar denied El Sherbini the chance to equal the legendary Nicol David's record of eight World Championship trophies. Gohar won 11-8, 9-11, 11-7, 11-5. El Sherbini had won 35 consecutive matches. Gohar became the first woman since Raneem El Welily in 2017 to beat El Sherbini at the PSA World Championship.

Gohar had lost in the last three PSA World Championship finals. This time, the 26-year-old managed to overcome her to win 11-8, 9-11, 11-7, 11-5 in 81 minutes. The victory gave Gohar her 26th PSA title. "I don't think I've ever been this emotional," Gohar said afterwards. "I usually show very little emotion, but this means so much. I always said I wouldn't stop until I was world champion. I really can't believe it", she said.


The final results were undoubtedly surprising. In the case of Elías, he has defied the odds. There had been speculation about his potential to go far. He is known as "The Puma". At 27, he has already won major tournaments such as the US Open in 2022 and the JP Morgan Tournament of Champions, the most financially rewarding, in 2023.

He also won the Pan American Games twice, in 2019 and 2023. Now he can revel in being a world champion. He is the first South American to challenge the Egyptians' dominance.

Curiously, Elías and Gohar were crowned world champions in 2024. But they also won together in 2015, when they were juniors.