She might not be taking part in the Olympics, but in the heart of many Malaysians, there is no doubt that Datuk Nicol David is one of the best athletes the world have ever seen.
And apparently, we’re not the only ones who think so, as British newspaper The Telegraph has recognised her as one of “The 20 Greatest Athletes In The World Right Now”.
In an article released yesterday (Thursday, 12th August), The Telegraph wrote:
“Not many athletes can claim to have enjoyed the sort of dominance Nicol David has had in the world of squash. The 32-year-old Malaysian was world number 1 for a record 109 months until September last year, and has won 3 gold medals at World Games, 2 Commonwealth golds, and a remarkable 8 World Open titles.”
The squash player was also named alongside several sports legends, such as footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, basketball player LeBron James, swimmer Michael Phelps, long-distance runner Mo Farah, “the fastest man alive” Usain Bolt, and owner of 22 Grand Slam titles Serena Williams.
What a proud moment for us, don’t you think?
The 32-year-old started her squash career when she was 9, winning a silver in the Under-14 category of the Penang State Championship in 1992. She continued her reign in the game, winning several more state and national titles before proceeding to the international circuit.
Although squash hasn’t been recognised as an Olympics sport yet, David was invited to carry the Olympic torch for Malaysia during the 2014 Athens Olympics. The icon has also tirelessly campaigned to get Squash into the Olympic Games.
David isn’t the only Malaysian making a name for herself in the sporting world, with shuttler Dato’ Lee Chong Wei, footballer Safee Sali, cyclists Mohd Azizulhasni bin Awang, and more constantly making headlines for their achievements. More notable are divers Pandelela Rinong and Cheong Jun Hong, who just recently won a silver medal in the “women’s synchronised 10m platform” diving category in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
However, they’re not the only ones who are making the country proud, as a total of 32 Malaysia athletes were sent to Rio to compete in the games. Wanna know who Team MAS is comprised of? Click here for a comprehensive list of Malaysian representatives.
Now that you know how awesome Malaysian athletes can be, don’t forget to cheer for them!
Source: The Telegraph.
