1.

0 BACKGROUND

A squash player, Nicol David perfectly knows how to take her skills to the next levels. In that
remark, she turned out to be the topmost Asian to attain the first position in women’s squash
league. Before holding a ‘professional player’ label, Nicol took more time to familiarize with
the said game. She loved to self-train herself, and in the end, she proved that everything was
possible. She did make a huge difference by simply hitting a ball on her own. At the end of it
all, she opted to forgo her future career where she embraced sporting.

Figure 1: Nicol Ann David holding her CIMB Malaysian Squash Open 2009 trophy

Nicol David, is a Malaysian professional squash player who became the first Asian to be
ranked world number one in women’s squash. Her interest in squash started at the age of five.
In 1997 she reached the quarterfinals of the World Junior Squash Championships, and two years
later the 15-year-old Nicol became the youngest woman to win a World Junior Championship.
In 2001 she defended that crown, becoming the first woman to capture the junior championship
title twice. In between those events, Nicol joined (2000) the Women’s International Squash
Players Association (WISPA). Soon after, she won the Savcor Finnish Open, becoming the
youngest woman to win a championship. In 2000 Nicol also claimed her first Kuala
Lumpur Open title (later renamed the CIMB Nicol David KL Open Squash Championships),
an event she won again in 2002 and 2005[14]. The latter victory signaled the beginning of a

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breakout season for Nicol—she went on to win six more titles in 2005 and ended that year by
claiming her first World Open title.
.

1.1 CHILDHOOD AND EARLY LIFE

Nicol David was born in Penang, Malaysia on 26th August 1983. Her father is called, Desmond
David who serves as a Malaysian engineer and a former athlete. Her mother is called Ann Marie
David who is now a former Chinese teacher. Nicol still loves to spend time with her two
siblings, Cheryl and Lianne, , both of whom are accomplished squash players at the national
level. Since she joined her preparatory school, she got interested in mathematics. It was in the
process that she dreamt of becoming a promising engineer just like her father. Nicol enrolled at
Covenant Green Lane Primary School in England. Later on, she joined Penilaian Menengah
Rendah a lower secondary examination where she scored seven straight A’s. She followed it
up with another seven A’s in her final National Examination called Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia.

2.0 ROAD TO SUCCESS – SQUASH CAREER

Nicol David played squash when she was five years old, and received coaching at the age of
eight.[1] While training at the Bukit Dumbar Squash Centre, she was talent spotted by Ee Phoeh
Hoon,[33] who led her to represent her home state of Penang, along with her sisters.[14]

2.1 JUNIOR YEARS

David's squash career began in 1992 when she won silver in the Under-14 category of the
Penang State Junior Championship.[34] Her first national level victory was also in 1992 at
the Milo-Dunlop Sport National Junior Interstate Championship, where she won silver in the
Under-16 category.[34] In 1994, David was chosen to join the Penang state squash team for
the Malaysian Games (SUKMA) tournament where she helped Penang win a gold medal in the
team event, despite being ill at the time.[10] In the same year, she won her first two international
titles – the Hong Kong U-13 and the Scottish Junior Open Under-12.[34] At eight years old,
Nicol was lucky to meet her sports tutor at Bukit Dumbar Squash Center. It was here that she
was selected to represent her locality in 1992 National Junior Interstate Championship. She did
her best where she went back home with a silver medal which was her first national award.
Early in 1994, Nicol surprised her fans by winning several international recognitions including
the Hong Kong U-13 tournament.
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2.2 EARLY PROFESSIONAL CAREERS

Nicol David joined WISPA and turned professional in 2000[10][41] when she won her first
WISPA title, after only a month in the tour.[42] The victory came in February, when she
defeated Salma Shabana in the final of the Savcor Finnish.[42] Within a month, Hotel
Equatorial announced its two-year worldwide sponsorship for her.[40] She also won a
sponsorship on the WISPA tour by Dunlop squash.[34]

In 2001 Nicol David, who has played under Dunlop Sport sponsorship for most of her junior
career and WISPA career, signed a two-year deal to play with Head rackets with local
conglomerate Mulpha Sports.[43] In July,she won the World Junior title for a second time,
beating Omneya Abdel Kawy in just 17 minutes with a score of 9–2, 9–4 and 9–2 in the
final.[37] She remained the only female squash player to have achieved this until 2007, when
Raneem El Weleily won her second World Junior Championship.[36][44] David also won the
individual event in the Asian Junior Squash Championships by defeating her compatriot Tricia
Chuah in the final.[45]. In 2002 David, together with her mixed double event partner Ong Beng
Hee, won a Commonwealth Games silver medal for Malaysia after losing to Glen Wilson and
Leilani Rorani in the final.[46]

2.3 CHALLENGES FACED

David was the losing finalist twice in 2003, losing to the more experienced Cassie Jackman on
her home ground and then to Linda Elriani in the Monte Carlo Classic in November.[49] She
reached the semi-final of the World Open in Hong Kong, losing to Cassie.[50] David did not
perform well in the other major WISPA events; she was eliminated in the first round of the
Carol Weymuller US Open,[51] in the British Open[52] and in the Texas Open.[53] In the Qatar
Classic Open, Nicol David lost in the second round to Natalie Grinham again.[54]

In 2004 David again failed to win any title. Her achievements included getting into the final of
both the Kuala Lumpur Open[55] and the Malaysian Open.[56] David started to progress in the
very last month of the year by reaching the final of the Shanghai WISPA WorldStars

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Championship[57] and the semi-finals of the World Open,[58] to rise two places to number
four in the January 2005 WISPA rankings.[59].

3.0 OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENTS

Nicol garnered several awards and recognition locally and internationallly throughiut her
squash career. Some outstanding achievements was in January 2006, when Nicol David became
the first Malaysian and the first Asian woman to be ranked World number one in squash. In
2008, she accomplished an incredible feat by not losing a single match in the complete calendar
year. She has won the World Open Championship consecutively five times from 2008 –2012
and the Asian Squash for a record eight times between 1998 and 2011. She received the Order
of Merit (Darjah Bakti) or D.B., becoming the first recipient of the award since its establishment
in June 1975. She was honored with the Darjah Setia Pangkuan Negeri Award (DSPN), which
carries the title ‘Datuk’. She was recognized as the youngest person ever to be conferred
Datukship in Penang. From 2005 to 2010, Nicol David received the title of WISPA Player of
the Year, six times in a row.

3.1 OVERALL ACHIEVEMENTS

In October 2018, Nicol recorded a 14 year, 9 month (177 months) unbroken run in
world top 20. In August 2018, she was voted women's 'Greatest Player Of All-Time'
('GOAT') in poll conducted by PSA. In the same month, she was declared Malaysia's most
successful Asian Games athlete with 7 gold medals (inc. 2 in team championship) and she also
won her 5th Asian Games gold medal - on her 35th birthday.

Her other career highlights was in November 2016 when she overtookMichelle Martin
to establish new record 143-month unbroken run in world top 5. In July 2016 she also ov. In
May 2016,ertook Peter Nicol to establish new record unbroken 151-month run in the world top
10. In May 2016, she won the 2015/16 'PSA Spirit of Squash' award

In February 2015, she celebrated 106th month at top of world rankings to overtake
Susan Devoy as longest-reigning world No1. In the consecutive month, she won the
Sportswriters Association Malaysia (SAM)-100Plus 2014 Athlete of the Year award for the
second time. In May 2015, she won the 9th Asian Championship title while In December
2015,she collected her 80th squash championship title.
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 In 2014, in May, September November and December 2014, she won several accolades
such as Malaysia's National Sportswoman of the Year for the 9th time , Wins her fourth Asian
Games gold medal in 16 years and the first player to achieve 100 consecutive months as world
No1.

In 2013, she won the 2012 'WSA Heather McKay Player of the Year' award - for 7th
year, followed by 3rd Malaysian Nationals title in September. IN 2012, she won the 7th World
Championship title.

Another year of achievement, in January 2011, she was awarded 2010 WISPA Player
of the Year. She was also conferred the 8th Malaysian Sportswoman of the Year awardin March
2011. In December 2011, she was hailed by Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun
Razak as the country's "most successful sports icon"

She was conferred the WISPA Player of the Year award consecutively from year 2005
to 2009. In July 2008, she made history when she was the youngest female to conferred a
'Datukship' by Penang . She also received 'Order of Merit', Malaysia's highest honour.

4.0 CONCLUSION

Nicol is a symbol of pride for Malaysians, a testament to hard work and sheer determination.
The legend continues.