Nouran Gohar, former world No. 1 and world champion, stepped back into the competitive squash world, just five months after giving birth to her first child. Gohar competed in her first world event of the professional season at the Qatar Classic, on September 12, entering as the fifth seed in the draw. The tournament marked more than just her return to the PSA tour. It captures the beginning of a new stage of her career, one that requires her to navigate the demands of elite competition alongside motherhood.

“I never pictured myself coming back [to squash] after pregnancy, never in my life,” Gohar said in an interview with Squash Player Magazine.

Now, back on court, Gohar—nicknamed the Terminator—begins a new chapter, finding her rhythm once again in an ever-evolving women’s game at the highest level of professional squash.

Gohar’s Return

After a year of not competing on the professional tour, Gohar’s sudden return had all eyes on her at Qatar. 

In her first-round match she faced a fellow Egyptian player, Kenzy Ayman (HWR #24), winning in a quick 22 minute match. Gohar won her first round in three-straight games, emphasizing her continued dominance on tour. In the round of 16, Gohar faced another Egyptian, Malak Khafagy (HWR #23), defeating her in a contentious 90-minute five-game battle.

“I didn’t enjoy my squash today, but I did enjoy my resilience and mental toughness. I need to go through matches like these,” Gohar said in a post-match interview with PSA.

While the match against Khafagy wasn’t what she hoped, Gohar explains that each time on court is a way to measure her progress day-by-day.

“Since the day I gave birth, every single day, [the goal] is that I want to get better than yesterday,” she said.

“Since the day I gave birth, every single day, [the goal] is that I want to get better than yesterday. ”

Nouran Gohar

A Different Kind of Comeback

Although Gohar ultimately withdrew from the Qatar Classic due to injury, conceding her quarter-final match to the current world No.1 Hania El Hammamy, the tournament was not meant to define her return to sport. Gohar has always embraced the challenge of the impossible, whether that be pursuing a degree in engineering and chasing her goals of world No. 1 at the same time, or now returning to the tour after giving birth. 

Stepping back to elite competition is just the first step in her new athletic identity. Her return also brings greater VISibility to what a career after pregnancy in professional squash looks like, a sport where far fewer women have returned to the tour after childbirth,

“There are so many more tennis players that have done this than in squash, and I don't see why we can’t,” Gohar said in an interview with Squash Player Magazine. “I know it's not easy, it's far from easy, but again, it’s not impossible.”

For Gohar, proving that possibility is part of her motivation. Instead of treating motherhood as the end of one chapter and a return to her previous career, she is looking towards building what comes next.

Looking Ahead

For Gohar, the Qatar Classic was just the beginning. With the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games on the calendar, she has set her sights on returning to world No. 1 and making Egypt’s team for squash’s Olympic debut. 

There is still a long journey from her first match back on tour to reaching the top of the rankings, but five months after becoming a mother, Gohar is not the player she was before. She is building a new version of herself as a player and a mother, one match at a time.