THERE is a saying that goes ‘nice guys finish last’.
But for Tarek Momen, one of the nicest players on the Professional Squash Association (PSA) Tour, his hard work and dedication finally paid off when the Egyptian won the Men’s World Championships crown in Doha, Qatar on Friday.
The World No 3 was bang on the buck as his accuracy and speed took him to an 11-8, 11-3, 11-4 win over New Zealand’s Paul Coll in the final.
It was a well-deserved victory for Tarek, who had never won a major title before.
It was also a historic moment for the sport as the 31-year-old’s success meant he and his wife — Raneem El Welily — have become the first married couple to be crowned world champions, albeit in different years.
Women’s World No 1 Raneem won the world title in 2017 and was also runner-up in this year’s world meet in Egypt earlier this month.
Tarek and Raneem, who tied the knot in 2014, are the only married couple across all sports to be crowned world champions after marriage.
The other prominent world champion husband and wife pair would be badminton’s Lin Dan and Xie Xingfang. Both were, however, already world champions when they tied the knot in 2010.
“It’s just unbelievable to be the first married couple world champions. For me, it’s a privilege to finally achieve something alongside Raneem,” said Tarek whose world title is only his seventh PSA title.
“It was also really important to have her on my side because I was under so much pressure, and she was there to calm me down.
“I definitely still need time to digest this win, especially since it’s always been a childhood dream of mine to be a world champion.
“I’m 31 now and I’ve been wondering if I still had the opportunity to do so, and now I feel I still can do it for a few more years.
“I’m just really pleased with this success because I really worked so hard for this.”
Players will now prepare for the Men’s World Team Championships in Washington on Dec 15-21.