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The year was 1999, and she was merely 15. While others her age were juggling between school and dealing with adolescence, Datuk Nicol Ann David was creating history for herself and the country.
Within half an hour at Antwerp, Belgium, she defeated her opponent and bagged the Women’s World Junior Squash Championships, making her the youngest female to win the championship.
And David never looked back ever since. She continued her reign as a world champion — not once, not twice, but eight times, winning 81 Professional Squash Association (PSA) titles and dominated the world No 1 spot for 112 consecutive months from 2006- 2015. After 20 years of being a superstar in the global squash arena, at the end of the 2018/2019 PSA season in June, the 35-year-old decided it was time to call it a day.
David attests that there isn’t really life “after squash”, retirement simply means she no longer has to compete and bag all the responsibilities that come with it.
Life, after all, to her has been about squash ever since she held the racket for the first time at the age of five.
“I’ve never liked the word ‘retired’ because to me the dream remains. Yes, for the first bit of life after retirement, I took the opportunity to travel around, but this time without the racket.
“At the same time, I am preparing for what has yet to come. My intention has always been about returning the favour. Giving back to the society from the experience I garnered from squash,” she said.
David is now occupied with setting up her own foundation, doing opinion write-ups, giving motivational talks and engaging with the younger generation, encouraging participation in any form of sports.
“Through the foundation, I would like to empower young girls to take up sports as a tool to instil values in them,” she added.
The foundation, according to David, would not only focus on sports, but also teach English to non-native English speakers among the children.
From The Malaysian Reserve
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