New Zealand’s top men's squash player Paul Coll is on the verge of summiting the sport's highest peak thanks to a gruelling training regime that gives him the edge.
Coll won through to the final of the world championships in Doha, a feat last achieved by a New Zealander three decades ago.
The Greymouth native pushed his body to near-breaking point against Egpyt's Marwan El Shorbagy.
"Really take the pace to him and chase down absolutely everything. Nearly ripped my hamstring back here in the last couple of points,” Coll said after the match.
Not since 1986 has a Kiwi man reached the final of the world champs, when Ross Norman beat Jahangir Khan.
His ability to keep backing up long, draining matches is not surprising to his Commonwealth Games coach.
"He spends a lot of time in the gym, probably more than most other squash players would," Glen Wilson said. "You can tell by the size of his quads how much power and how explosive he is on the squash court."
Coll is somewhat of a fitness freak, training two sessions a day - often with his partner Nele Gilis, herself a top-20 squash player.
The man from Greymouth is using his physical prowess to get a mental edge on opponents.
"He's learned to cherish that side of it. I don't think a lot of players really cherish the physical side as much. They tend to spend a lot of time on their game - tactics, shot selection, technique - whereas Paul really values the physical side,” Wilson said.
It's a part of his game that Coll will once again call on as he looks to topple another Egyptian in Tarek Momen and break a 33-year drought.
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