Squash Queen Nicol David: Malaysia’s 108-Month World No. 1 Legend
If badminton has Lee Chong Wei, then in squash Malaysia has Nicol David. The Penang-born squash queen is in the Guinness World Records for a staggering 108 consecutive months at world No. 1 and is widely regarded as one of the greatest women’s squash players ever. Her dominance almost defined an era of women’s squash and made the niche sport a household name in Malaysia.
Eight World Open titles
She won the World Open eight times in her career and lifted the British Open five times, and was the first woman to win the World Junior Championship twice. From Asia to Europe and the Americas, she swept nearly every top honour in the sport, holding an unshakeable dominance and remaining the focus wherever she went.
108 months at No. 1: into Guinness
Most celebrated is her run from 2006 to 2015 of 108 consecutive months at world No. 1 — the longest unbroken reign in squash history, and she was the first, and for a long time the only, Asian woman to hold the top ranking long-term. Such span of dominance needed not just talent but daily discipline, rigorous conditioning and an almost obsessive hunger for victory, making her record widely seen as a peak hard to ever repeat.
The greatest athlete in World Games history
After retiring, her influence did not fade. She was voted the greatest athlete in the history of the World Games, an honour spanning many sports that shows her lofty standing. In June 2019 she retired after a final match at the British Open, but continues her squash dream by promoting the sport and developing young players.
From a Penang girl to an Asian legend
Born in Penang in 1983 to Chinese and Indian heritage, she showed astonishing talent young, breaking through at world junior events in her teens. Beyond the World and British Opens, she won gold at multi-sport meets such as the Asian Games and was awarded the Datuk title for her outstanding contribution. Her success drew many Malaysian youngsters into squash courts and built a long-term talent pipeline and international reputation for the nation.
For more local sporting legends, browse the Malaysia Sports column; follow live World Cup action at the Live Scores Centre and check the full fixtures.
