Cristina Gómez, a prominent figure in Spanish female squash, faced a significant setback in her career after the 2023 World Cup in Chicago. Having concatenated several minor injuries over the past year, her right knee ultimately gave out, leading to a complicated and lengthy recovery process. The initial diagnosis revealed a cartilage breakage, which required urgent surgery. As Cristina recounts, “I entered the consultation thinking that it was nothing serious, and when I heard that I thought the sport was over for me.”
The road to recovery was long and arduous, involving two operations and a total of 14 months of rehabilitation. The first operation, an arthroscopy, aimed to clean the area and assess the damage. However, a second operation was necessary, utilizing an innovative technique involving the implantation of autologous chondrocytes. This procedure entailed two months without putting weight on her leg, followed by a gradual process of learning to walk again. Cristina notes, “The recovery process was much slower than normal, and the time was more desperate. I lost all the musculature and had to start with progressive work and food supplementation.”
Resurgence and Olympic Dreams
During her recovery, Cristina received news that squash would be included in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. This announcement brought a mix of emotions, from the excitement of a new goal to the uncertainty of her ability to recover in time. As she expresses, “When I read the news, it was a strange sensation, a mixture of emotions. I thought I was almost five years ahead to recover and be part of that historical milestone. It was like resurrecting.”
Cristina returned to competition in August 2024 at the European championships in Cuenca, where she finished 14th after winning three matches and losing three. Despite the challenges, she has made significant progress, rising from 467th to nearly touching the top 100 in the PSA ranking by the end of the year. Her focus now is on overcoming the psychological barriers and trusting her knee to perform at its best. “At first, it was inevitable to think more about the knee than the rival. Today, I still am afraid because I know that the knee is not 100%. I know that the psychological plane has a very high importance, so I work on both body and head to be stopped soon,” she resolves.
Aiming for Los Angeles 2028
With the Olympic Games on the horizon, Cristina faces a competitive field for one of the two potential spots for Spanish representatives. Her recent win at the Spanish championship, where she came back from two games down and saved a match ball in the fifth set, demonstrates her determination and competitive spirit. Looking ahead, Cristina has tournaments lined up in Denmark and India, with the goal of securing a place at the Olympics. As she assertively states, “I’m back. I don’t know where the gasoline will get to me, but I hope I have a deposit at least to live the Olympic experience.”
