Nicol David facts for kids

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Nicol Ann David

Nicol David June 2020
Personal information
Full name	Nicol Ann David
Nickname(s)	Duracell Bunny
Born	(1983-08-26) 26 August 1983 (age 41) Penang, Malaysia
Residence	Amsterdam, Netherlands
Height	1.62 m (5 ft 4 in)
Weight	55 kilograms (121 lb)
Website	www.nicoldavid.com
Sport
Country	Malaysia
Event(s)	Women's singles
Turned pro	2000
Coached by	Liz Irving
Medal record Women's squash Representing  Malaysia Event 1st 2nd 3rd World Championships 8 0 3 World Team Championships 0 1 4 World Games 3 0 1 Commonwealth Games 2 1 1 Asian Games 7 1 1 World Championships Gold 2005 Hong Kong Singles Gold 2006 Belfast Singles Gold 2008 Manchester Singles Gold 2009 Amsterdam Singles Gold 2010 Sharm El Sheikh Singles Gold 2011 Rotterdam Singles Gold 2012 Grand Cayman Singles Gold 2014 Cairo Singles Bronze 2003 Hong Kong Singles Bronze 2004 Kuala Lumpur Singles Bronze 2013 Penang Singles World Team Championships Silver 2014 Niagara-on-the-Lake Team Bronze 2006 Edmonton Team Bronze 2008 Cairo Team Bronze 2010 Palmerston Team Bronze 2012 Nîmes Team World Games Gold 2005 Duisburg Singles Gold 2009 Kaohsiung Singles Gold 2013 Cali Singles Bronze 2017 Wrocław Singles Commonwealth Games Gold 2010 Delhi Singles Gold 2014 Glasgow Singles Silver 2002 Manchester Mixed doubles Bronze 2010 Delhi Mixed doubles Asian Games Gold 1998 Bangkok Singles Gold 2006 Doha Singles Gold 2010 Guangzhou Singles Gold 2010 Guangzhou Team Gold 2014 Incheon Singles Gold 2014 Incheon Team Gold 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Singles Silver 2002 Busan Singles Bronze 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Team
Updated on September, 2017.

Nicol Ann David (born August 26, 1983) is a retired professional squash player from Malaysia. She is considered one of the greatest women's squash players ever! Nicol was the world's number one player for an amazing 108 months in a row. This is a record that no other squash player, male or female, has ever achieved.

She won the World Open title eight times, which is also a record. She also won the British Open five times. In July 2016, she broke another record by staying in the top 10 rankings for 151 months straight. Nicol was the first squash player to win the World Junior title twice. She won it in 1999 and again in 2001.

Nicol David became a professional player in 2000. She won her very first professional title just one month after joining the tour! In 2008, she received a special award called the Order of Merit from the King of Malaysia. She was the first person to ever get this award. Nicol also carried the Olympic torch for Malaysia before the 2004 Athens Olympics. She was even named a Goodwill Ambassador for Malaysia by the UNDP.

In 2018, fans voted Nicol David as the greatest women's squash player of all time. She announced her retirement in February 2019, playing her last professional match in June that year. In 2021, she was voted the World Games Greatest Athlete of All Time, receiving the most votes among 24 athletes from around the world.

Nicol's Life Story

Nicol David was born in Penang, Malaysia. Her mother, Ann Marie David, was a school teacher. Her father, Desmond David, was an engineer and a former athlete. Nicol has two sisters, Lianne and Cheryl, who also played squash at a high level.

When she was younger, Nicol loved mathematics and dreamed of becoming an engineer. She went to Convent Green Lane Primary School and Convent Green Lane Secondary School. She was a very good student, getting top grades in her exams. Nicol was raised as a Roman Catholic.

Nicol's Amazing Squash Journey

Starting Young: Junior Years

Nicol Ann David during CIMB Malaysian Open Squash 2008 in Kuala Lumpur.

Nicol started playing squash when she was just five years old. By age eight, she was already getting coaching! A coach named Ee Phoeh Hoon noticed her talent. Soon, Nicol was representing her home state of Penang in competitions.

Her squash career officially began in 1992. She won a silver medal in the Under-14 category at the Penang State Junior Championship. Later that year, she won another silver at a national championship. In 1994, Nicol helped her Penang team win a gold medal at the Malaysian Games. That same year, she won her first international titles in Hong Kong and Scotland.

In 1999, Nicol David became the youngest ever World Junior Champion at just 15 years old. She beat her teammate Lynn Leong in the final in Belgium. She won this title again in 2001, becoming one of only two players to win it twice! Nicol also won many other junior tournaments, including the British Junior Open and the Asian Junior Championship. She is one of the few squash players to have won all age categories in the British Junior Open.

Becoming a Pro: Early Career (2000-2004)

Nicol David and New Zealander Shelley Kitchen during the 2007 CIMB Malaysian Open.

Nicol became a professional squash player in 2000. Just one month later, she won her first professional title, the Savcor Finnish Open! Soon after, she got sponsorships from companies like Hotel Equatorial and Dunlop squash.

In 2001, Nicol won her second World Junior title. She beat Omneya Abdel Kawy in the final. She was the only female player to do this until 2007. Nicol also won the Asian Junior Squash Championships that year.

In 2002, Nicol won a silver medal for Malaysia at the Commonwealth Games in mixed doubles. She also won her second Kuala Lumpur Open title. However, she lost her Asian Games gold medal in 2002 to Rebecca Chiu of Hong Kong.

The year 2003 was tough for Nicol. She lost in two finals and was knocked out early in some major tournaments. In 2004, she still didn't win any titles, but she started to improve. By the end of 2004, she reached the finals and semi-finals of big tournaments, moving up to number four in the world rankings.

Reaching the Top: World Champion (2005-2006)

Nicol Ann David holding her CIMB Malaysian Squash Open 2007 trophy.

The year 2005 was a breakthrough for Nicol. She only lost two matches all year! She won a gold medal at the World Games in Germany. Then, she became the first Malaysian player to win the Malaysian Open Squash Championship.

In October 2005, Nicol made history again. She became the first Malaysian and first Asian woman to win the British Open title! She beat Australia's Natalie Grinham in the final. Just two months later, Nicol won the World Open in Hong Kong for the first time. This amazing win made her the world's number one player in January 2006. She was only 23 years old!

Nicol continued her success in 2006. She won six straight titles and held onto her number one ranking. She successfully defended her World Open title in Belfast, becoming the first Malaysian athlete to win a world championship twice in a row. She also won the Qatar Airways Challenge Open, the Dunlop British Open, and the Hong Kong Open. By December 2006, she was voted the best female player of the year for the second time.

Unstoppable: Winning Streak (2007-2008)

Nicol returning the ball to Jenny Duncalf at the 2007 CIMB Open at National Squash Complex, Bukit Jalil, Selangor.

Nicol won six more titles in early 2007. However, she lost the British Open final to Rachael Grinham. She also had an early exit from the World Open, which was unusual for her. Despite this, she was named the Asian Sportswoman of the Year in December.

In 2008, Nicol David was unbeatable! She won all ten tournaments she played in. This included the British Open, the Malaysian Open, and her third World Open title. She extended her unbeaten streak to 53 matches. By December 2008, she had been the world number one for 30 months in a row. She also won her sixth Asian Championship title and helped Malaysia win a bronze medal at the Women's World Team Championship.

Breaking Records: 2009-Present

Nicol David in action on the sixth day of the 2009 Hong Kong Open.

Nicol David on the seventh day of the 2009 Hong Kong Open.

Nicol Ann David holding her CIMB Malaysian Squash Open 2009 trophy.

Nicol started 2009 as world number one for the 30th month. Her amazing 56-match winning streak ended when she lost in the Kuala Lumpur Open final. But she quickly bounced back, winning the Cayman Islands Open and the Texas Open.

She continued to dominate, winning her second Seoul City Open and her fifth Malaysian Open title in a row. She also won her third Singapore Masters championship. In September 2009, Nicol reached her 41st month as world number one, passing her mentor Sarah Fitz-Gerald for the third-longest reign at the top. She then won her fourth World Open Championship, becoming only the third player to achieve this.

In 2010, Nicol started the year as world number one for the 42nd month. She won the Chennai Open and her sixth Kuala Lumpur Open title. She continued to win, capturing her fifth World Open title, matching Sarah Fitz-Gerald's record. In October, she won a gold medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, without losing a single game in the tournament.

Nicol David also became the first player, male or female, to win the US Open three years in a row. She won the US$115,000 tournament in Philadelphia, showing her continued strength in the sport.

Rivalry with Natalie Grinham

Nicol David had a famous rivalry with Natalie Grinham. They played each other 36 times, with Nicol winning 29 of those matches. Sixteen of their matches were in tournament finals, including two World Open finals. Their 2006 World Open final was called "one of the great finals" in women's squash history.

Their longest match was in 2007 at the Kuala Lumpur Open, which Nicol won in an intense five-set match that lasted 102 minutes! In the 2009 World Open final, Nicol beat Natalie to win her fourth World Open title.

Career Achievements

WISPA Titles (81 wins)

Nicol David won a total of 81 titles on the WISPA World Tour. These include:

• 12 WISPA Platinum Series titles
• 52 WISPA Gold Series titles
• 12 WISPA Silver Series titles
• 5 WISPA Tour Series titles

World Open Finals (8 wins)

Nicol David won the World Open title a record 8 times:

• 2005: Beat Rachael Grinham
• 2006: Beat Natalie Grinham
• 2008: Beat Vicky Botwright
• 2009: Beat Natalie Grinham
• 2010: Beat Omneya Abdel Kawy
• 2011: Beat Jenny Duncalf
• 2012: Beat Laura Massaro
• 2014: Beat Raneem El Weleily

British Open Finals (5 wins, 2 runner-up)

Nicol David won the British Open 5 times:

• 2005: Beat Natalie Grinham
• 2006: Beat Rachael Grinham
• 2008: Beat Jenny Duncalf
• 2012: Beat Nour El Sherbini
• 2014: Beat Laura Massaro

She was also runner-up in 2007 and 2013.

Hong Kong Open Finals (10 wins)

Nicol David won the Hong Kong Open an incredible 10 times, never losing a final:

• 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015

Qatar Classic Finals (5 wins)

Nicol David won the Qatar Classic 5 times, never losing a final:

• 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011

Malaysian Open Finals (8 wins, 3 runner-up)

Nicol David won the Malaysian Open 8 times:

• 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013

She was also runner-up in 2003, 2004, and 2012.

Other Important Titles

• Asian Championship – Singles Champion: 9 times (1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2015)
• Asian Games – Singles Gold: 5 times (1998, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018)
• World Games – Singles Champion: 3 times (2005, 2009, 2013)
• Commonwealth Games – Singles Gold: 2 times (2010, 2014)

Junior Titles

Nicol David won many junior titles, showing her talent from a young age:

• World Junior Champion: 1999, 2001
• British Junior Open: Under-14 (1996, 1997), Under-16 (1998), Under-17 (1999), Under-19 (1999)
• Scottish Junior Open: Under-14 (1995, 1996), Under-16 (1997), Under-17 (1998)
• Asian Junior Championship – Singles Champion: 1999, 2001
• Asian Junior Championship – Team Champion: 1999, 2001

Awards and Special Recognition

Nicol David has received many awards for her amazing achievements:

• On June 7, 2008, she was given the Order of Merit (Darjah Bakti) by the King of Malaysia. She was the very first person to receive this special award.
• On July 12, 2008, she received the Darjah Setia Pangkuan Negeri (DSPN) award from the Governor of Penang. This award comes with the title Datuk, making her the youngest person in Penang to be called Datuk.
• In July 2007, the University of Nottingham gave her an honorary Master of Arts degree.
• She was named the WISPA Player of the Year six times in a row, from 2005 to 2010.
• Nicol carried the Olympic torch for Malaysia before the 2004 Athens Olympics.
• She was appointed a National Goodwill Ambassador for Malaysia by the UNDP.
• On September 23, 2019, she received an honorary Doctorate (Ph.D.) in Sports Science from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).

Images for kids

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  Nicol Ann David during CIMB Malaysian Open Squash 2008 in Kuala Lumpur.

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  Nicol David and New Zealander Shelley Kitchen during the 2007 CIMB Malaysian Open.

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  Nicol Ann David holding her CIMB Malaysian Squash Open 2007 trophy.

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  Nicol returning the ball to Jenny Duncalf at the 2007 CIMB Open at National Squash Complex, Bukit Jalil, Selangor.

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  Nicol David in action on the sixth day of the 2009 Hong Kong Open.

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  Nicol David on the seventh day of the 2009 Hong Kong Open.

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  Nicol Ann David holding her CIMB Malaysian Squash Open 2009 trophy.