Friday, March 19, 2010

Penang Squash Queen - Nicol David

Nicol Ann David, the world woman squash champion, the world No. 1 female squash player. She is from Penang. I once saw her in Batu Lanchang, she is a humble and down to earth Penang girl, eating 'pasembur' or rojak (Penang street food) with her classmate at Batu Lanchang Hawker Complex, near Batu Lanchang Market. But unfortunately even I have my camera with me, the battery was out,and missed the chance to take a photo with her, the world Champ. Anyhow, at least I managed to have a good handshake with world champ from Penang.



Datuk Nicol Ann David is a Malaysian professional squash player. She is currently ranked world number 1 in women's squash,and is the first Asian woman to be ranked World No. 1 in the sport. She won the World Open title in 2005,2006, 2008 and 2009,and the British Open title in 2005,2006 and 2008.

Nicol is the first squash player to have won the World Junior title twice (1999 and 2001) under the tutelage of Richard Glanfield. She remained the only female squash player to have achieved this, until Raneem El Weleily emulated Nicol's feat by winning her second World Junior Championship in 2007. At a very young age, she was invited to carry the Olympic torch for Malaysia during the build up to the Athens Olympics in 2004 and being appointed as UNDP National Goodwill Ambassador for Malaysia.

Nicol David's other achievements include the Asian squash championship, which she won with a record of six times (in 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008). She also held a 13-month, 51-match winning streak, from March 2006 until April 2007, when she finally lost to Natalie Grinham in the final of the 2007 Seoul Open. The former Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, a fellow Penangite, once quipped that Nicol is "now more famous than me".

(source: wikipedia)



Personal Bacground

Nicol is the Chindian daughter of Ann Marie David, a retired Malaysian Chinese school teacher, and Desmond David, a Malaysian Indian engineer, who is also a former state athlete and footballer. She has two sisters, Lianne Marie and Cheryl Therese, both of whom are accomplished squash players at a national level. As a youngster, Nicol enjoyed reading, and mathematics was her best subject at school; she dreamed of one day becoming an engineer. Nicol scored seven A's for her Penilaian Menengah Rendah and obtained seven A's in her Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (the equivalent to GCSE), which she studied at Convent Green Lane Secondary School in Green Lane, Penang.

(source: wikipedia)

She was conferred by The University of Nottingham, UK with Master of Arts honoris causa on 21-7-2007 by Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Professor Douglas Tallack at the Malaysia Campus’ eighth graduation ceremony.

The most trust person in Malaysia

A survey by Reader Digest voted her as The Most Trust Person in Malaysia, who is our squash queen, Nicol David, who is world champion, and who is from Penang. We,Penanag people are proud of your achievement, no doubt you will also be the most trust person in Penang,

I know I may meet her again, this time not only with world champion, also the most trust person in Malaysia. I hope this time I will have my camera with me, with battery fully charge.

Related articles

1. NOTTINGHAM AWARD FOR NICOL DAVID, http://www.nottingham.edu.my/News/News/Pages/NottinghamAwardNicolDavid.aspx
2. Nicol David the most trusted Malaysian, http://www.malaysianmirror.com/nationaldetail/6-national/31895

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