The gold medal in squash has a Chennai connection.
Nicol David, the gold medallist from Malaysia, says “My great grandfather is from Chennai.”
The seven-time World champion who won the Asian Games women’s singles gold medal, told The Hindu here on Tuesday, “I've been there quite a lot for squash. My dad is half Eurasian and Indian. I don’t know my great grandfather’s name but my grandfather’s name is Amirthanayagam, he changed it to David.”
Nicol, who is in the forefront of the campaign to bring squash to the Olympics, feels that squash still has a chance of making of making it to the 2020 Olympics despite the International Olympic Committee not voting in the sport’s favour at a recent meeting.
“There is still a chance. I think it’s only a matter of time before it gets in there.”
For Nicol, the women’s singles gold here was her fourth at the Asian Games. She had won her first yellow at the 1998 Games in Bangkok at the age of 14. After the introduction of glass courts a few years ago, squash is on the right track in its bid to get an Olympic berth but has a few suggestions to make the sport more attractive.
“We have the glass courts, it’s pretty much handy, you can take it anywhere, brings spectators together. We probably need a bigger screen and probably if we can bring the seats closer to the glass court, it will create a bigger impact,” said the Nicol, Asia’s first women’s World No. 1.
“We have video review now which is helping. I think where we are right now, we should get the recognition.” Nicol, who was good at basketball, volleyball, running and swimming in her school days, was five when she took up squash with her two elder sisters.
“I played competitions (in squash) when I was 10-11 and then I started playing the big tournaments for Malaysia when I was 13-14.
“My sisters were in the national team, so it was very nice. But they went to study and I carried on,” said the young lady who is playing her fifth Asian Games here.
So, will she play if squash makes it to the 2020 Olympics?
“If that happens, I would really like to delay my retirement and that definitely would be my last push and I would tune my body to that challenge.”