Nicol seeks to retain world No.1 ranking for 10th consecutive year

Squash queen Datuk Nicol David is looking forward to retaining her world number one ranking in 2015 after her tremendous achievements last year.

Nicol said there are four major tournaments for her to focus on this year namely the Tournament of Champions 2015 (TOC), British Open, US Open and World Championship, besides other tournaments.

"I can't believe being number one for nine years. It was a fun and exciting journey. Obviously, there have been tough moments and I really have learnt to grow as a person through squash and hope for more glad tidings this year.

"There are the main tournaments like the TOC, British Open, US Open and World Championship which we call the grand slam tournaments and winning them is my goal. But I also have to do well in all other tournaments," she told reporters after receiving the Top 10 Most Inspiring Leaders and Personalities Award from the UCSI University here. today.

Looking back on her achievements in 2014, Nicol noted that it was one of her best years, especially winning at the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and also winning the world title after losing it in 2013.

"It was not the easiest and hardest world title to win but it was a great feeling getting it in 2014," she said.

The outstanding achievement of the 31-year-old Penangite brought sunshine to the gloomy atmosphere that shrouded Malaysian sports after the national contingents failed to achieve their target at the Commonwealth and Asian Games.

Nicol retained her world number one ranking for nine successive years when she claimed back the world championship title last December in Egypt.

Meanwhile, on Datuk Lee Chong Wei's doping issue, Nicol said that she was confident that the Youth and Sports Ministry would do its best for Malaysia's number one badminton player.

"I have not been informed much and just get updates through the press. But I know for a fact that Chong Wei has worked hard and has done much for the country," she added.

The USCI award which also features a talk from the recipient aims to provide a platform for students from higher learning institutions across Malaysia to not only learn about leadership practices from top leaders, but also on the positive impact of their achievements on the community.

Nicol spent an hour with scholarship recipients from the UCSI Scholars' Club sharing her long journey to summit of competitive squash.

In total, 31 candidates were nominated for the award by Malaysian students between 16 and 25 years old from local public and private learning centres.

Other winners of the award are AirAsia Bhd Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Aireen Omar, Groupon Asia Pacific International vice president Joel Neoh, Chatime Malaysia CEO Bryan Loo, Phison Electronics Corp CEO Datuk Pua Khein Seng, singer and songwriter Shila Amzah, actress and pop singer Lee Sin Jie and

pop singer Fish Leong.