Nicol David
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Country: | Malaysia | |
Residence: | Penang, Malaysia | |
Plays: | Right-Handed | |
Racquet: | Prince | |
Turned pro: | 2000 | |
Highest World Ranking: | 1 (January 2006) | |
Current World Ranking: | 1 (March 2007) | |
WISPA Tour Titles: | 17 | |
WIPSA Tour Finals: | 10 | |
Coach: | Liz Irving | |
Club Based At: | Squash City, Amsterdam |
Nicol Ann David (born August 26, 1983 in Penang) is a Malaysian squash player and was said to be the Malaysian sport 'superstar'. She is officially the World Number 1 in women's squash, and is the current (as of 2006) British Open and World Open champion. Recently she has defended her British Open title in 2006 by beating Rachael Grinham in the final. She was the first Asian woman to win the Open. She is also the first and the only female squash player to have won the World Junior title twice in 1999 and 2000. David has been training in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, since she was 18, when she finished her Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination, scoring 7As. David's other titles include the Asian squash championship, which she won with a record of five times (in 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2006).
On 4 December 2005, she beat Rachael Grinham from Australia to become the youngest world champion.
On 25 November 2006, at the historic Ulster Hall in Belfast , she beat Rachael's sister, Natalie Grinham in a thrilling five sets. She became the first Malaysian athlete to win a world championship title for the 2nd consecutive time, and the fourth person in history to retain the world championship.
Nicol was also named WISPA Player of The Year for 2005 as she won six WISPA titles, the World Games gold medal and the World Open title on 4 December 2005. She has been a sports icon in Malaysia and the Malaysian Prime Minister Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was quoted saying that David is "now more famous than me".
[edit] Family
She is the daughter of Ann Marie David and Desmond David. She has two sisters named Liane and Cheryl, both of whom accomplished squash players at national levels. Her father is an engineer, and her mother was a school teacher (now retired).
[edit] References
- Boopathy, K.M. (Oct. 19, 2005). "And Now for the World!". New Straits Times, p. 47.
- Boopathy, K.M. (Oct. 31, 2005). "Nicol closes in on sixth title". New Straits Times]], p. 43.
- "Nicol warga Asia pertama juara skuasy Terbuka British". (Oct. 19, 2005). Berita Harian, p. 1.
- Rokk, Lazarus (Oct. 19, 2005). "Nicol provides the cure". New Straits Times, p. 46.