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Heather McKay
Full name Heather Pamela McKay
Country  Australia
Born (1941-07-31) 31 July 1941 (age 83)
Height 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Turned Pro 1960 (squash)
Retired 1979 (squash)
Women's Singles
Highest ranking 1
World Open W (1976, 1979)
Medal record
Women's squash
Representing  Australia
World Championships
Gold 1976 Brisbane Singles
Gold 1979 Sheffield Singles

Heather Pamela McKay (born July 31, 1941) is an amazing Australian athlete. Many people believe she is the greatest female squash player ever! She was unbeatable in squash during the 1960s and 1970s.

Heather won the British Open 16 times in a row, from 1962 to 1977. She also captured the first women's World Open title in 1976. What's even more incredible is that she remained undefeated in squash for 18 years! Besides squash, she was also a top player in other sports like field hockey and racquetball.

Heather McKay's Early Life and Sports Beginnings

Heather Blundell was born in 1941 in Queanbeyan, Australia. She grew up in a large family with eleven children. Her parents always encouraged her to play sports.

She played tennis in the summer and hockey in the winter. Heather didn't discover squash until she was eighteen years old. She started playing squash to help her fitness.

First Squash Successes

At first, Heather played squash just for fun. A friend then suggested she enter the New South Wales Country Championship. She won both the junior and women's titles at this event.

Her success caught the eye of the Australian Squash Association president. He recommended she compete in the 1960 New South Wales Championships in Sydney. She won the junior tournament there.

Heather then decided to focus more on squash. Even though she loved squash, she still played other sports too. A famous squash champion, Hashim Khan, even said she "could be very good."

Becoming a Champion

In 1960, Heather won the Australian squash title for the first time. She went on to win this title thirteen more times in a row! She also won the New South Wales and Victoria championships many times.

To help her career, she moved to Sydney with support from sponsors. There, she met Brian McKay, and they married in 1965. She then started using his last name, McKay.

In 1962, Heather lost a match at the Scottish Championship. This was only her second loss in her professional career. It was also her last loss until she retired in 1979!

That same year, she played in the British Open Squash Championship for the first time. This tournament was seen as the unofficial world championship until 1976. Heather won it and then won it fifteen more times in a row!

Other Sports and Later Career

Heather McKay was also a talented field hockey player. She represented Australia in hockey in 1967 and 1971.

In 1975, she moved to Toronto. In 1976, she won the first World Open Squash for women. She also won the US squash championship in 1977.

In 1979, she won the World Open Squash again. This time, it was officially recognized as the world championship.

At 38 years old, Heather retired from squash. She wrote a book called Heather McKay's Complete Book of Squash. After retiring, she started playing racquetball and was very successful.

She won the US Amateur Racquetball Championship in 1977. She also won the Canadian Racquetball Championship several times. From 1980 to 1984, she won the US Professional Racquetball Championship three times.

Coaching and Masters Titles

In 1985, Heather moved back to Australia. She became an assistant squash coach at the Australian Institute of Sport in Brisbane. She helped coach future champions like Michelle Martin.

While coaching, she also won the World Masters Squash Championships four times. She won in the over-45 category in 1987 and 1990. She then won in the over-50 category in 1993 and 1995.

She stopped coaching in 1999 and ended her involvement in squash. She then moved to Canberra.

Since the late 1990s, Heather has played in senior tennis tournaments. In 2001, she won the World Senior Championships. In 2018, she moved back to Queanbeyan.

Major Championship Wins

Heather McKay won many important squash tournaments. Here are some of her biggest wins:

World Open Squash Championships

Year Location Opponent in the final Score in the final Outcome
1976 Brisbane, Australia Australia Marion Jackman 9–2, 9–2, 9–0 Winner
1979 Sheffield, England England Sue Cogswell 6–9, 9–3, 9–1, 9–4 Winner

British Open Squash Championships

Year Location Opponent in the final Score in the final Outcome
1962 London England Fran Marshall 9–6, 9–5, 9–4 Winner
1963 London England Fran Marshall 9–4, 9–2, 9–6 Winner
1964 London England Fran Marshall 9–2, 9–2, 9–1 Winner
1965 London England Anna Craven-Smith 9–0, 9–1, 9–2 Winner
1966 London England Anna Craven-Smith 9–0, 9–0, 10–8 Winner
1967 London, England England Anna Craven-Smith 9–1, 10–8, 9–6 Winner
1968 London, England Australia Bev Johnson 9–0, 9–0, 9–0 Winner
1969 Sheffield, England England Fran Marshall 9–2, 9–0, 9–0 Winner
1970 Birmingham, England South Africa Marcia Roche 9–1, 9–1, 9–0 Winner
1971 Birmingham, England England Jenny Irving 9–0, 9–3, 9–1 Winner
1972 Sheffield, England South Africa Kathy Malan 9–1, 9–1, 9–2 Winner
1973 Sheffield, England New Zealand C. Fleming 9–1, 9–0, 9–1 Winner
1974 Sheffield, England England Sue Cogswell 9–2, 9–1, 9–2 Winner
1975 Wembley, England Australia Marion Jackman 9–3, 9–1, 9–5 Winner
1976 Wembley, England Australia Sue Newmann 9–2, 9–4, 9–2 Winner
1977 Wembley, England Australia Barbara Wall 9–3, 9–1, 9–2 Winner

Awards and Recognition

Heather McKay has received many awards for her amazing sports career:

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