All was quiet in Sana Bahadar’s mind when she entered the squash court on the last day of October for her quarterfinal at the CNS Squash Championships. Her immediate aim: to clinch the fourth game and move a step closer to claiming another title. It wasn’t to be. The hotly-contested first three games had been indicative of a battle to the end and Sana would soon have to put her body on the line to win when her opponent’s racket hit her in the throat. Struggling to breathe as she clutched her throat, Sana stumbled out the glass door and into the stands. Her father, Sher, rushed over and crouched in front of her, asking what happened. He told a concerned referee rushing over that she had been hit in the throat, but the referee told him not to interfere during play. “I was speaking for Sana because you don’t understand sign language,” Sher quipped to silence the referee. He opened his mouth to argue with Sher but shut it just as quickly, staring at the medical officer and Sher attending to Sana. Her opponent, Sa...