As most of us would have already found out, Nicol David is retiring this June after 20 illustrious years. Bringing glory to the country and breaking records along the way, it’s no wonder Nicol was crowned as Malaysia’s very own Squash Queen. We’re all sad to see her go, but there’s a time for everything. To cheer her on during her last leg of professional squash, let’s celebrate her and her love with some quick facts!
Nicol David Fun Facts
- Voted women’s “Greatest Player of All-Time” (GOAT) in a poll conducted by Professional Squash Association (PSA)
- Held the World No. 1 spot for a total of 112 months and consecutively for 109 months, from 2006-2015
- When she first became World No. 1, she was the first Malaysian and Asian woman to hold that rank
- Has 81 Professional Squash Association (PSA) titles from 102 finals
- An Eight-Time World Champion
- Started playing at five years old, and started coaching at eight years old
- She’s still lobbying for squash to be part of the Olympics
Squash Fun Facts
- Since 1830, squash has been around, and it was invented by students at the Harrow School outside London
- In 2003, Forbes rated squash as the healthiest sport to play
- Despite being around for so long, it is still not part of the Olympics, and supporters are lobbying for its inclusion
- The first players used rubber balls that squashed against the walls when hit, hence the name “squash”
- The Titanic had a squash court on board, and pro player Fred Wright went down with the ship
- An excellent cardiovascular workout, an hour of squash can burn 600 – 1000 calories
- While Queen Elizabeth II was in labour giving birth to Prince Charles (for 30 hours!), her husband Prince Philip was playing squash
With all that’s said, we’re a little bummed that we won’t get to see Nicol in action in the Olympics, if squash ever makes it as part of the games. However, we’d still like to congratulate Nicol over her achievements all these years, and for being an inspiration to all Malaysians! Thank you Datuk Nicol David, and we wish you all the very best for your road ahead!
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