And now, Malaysians, it's time for us to return a favour.
Worthy candidate
The 37-year-old retired squash star made the World Games Greatest Athlete of All Time shortlist, and she needs your help to win the title.
The poll, which started last Friday (8 January), will see 24 candidates from all editions of the World Games’ 40-year history battling it out to be named the greatest athlete of all time.
The candidates represent 24 different sports, as nominated by their International Federations.
Of course, when it comes to squash, there's no better candidate than our very own Nicol David.
David is the only Malaysian and the only Asian to make it into the illustrious list, so do vote for her because #AsianPride.
To do so, click on this link here and look for Nicol David's name to submit your vote.
At the time of writing, David is leading all vote getters with a whopping 111,139 votes, so let's make sure she stays on top, yeah?
The top ten candidates with the most votes will head on to the next round on 20 January, and the World Games Greatest Athlete of All Time will be crowned on 1 February.
Wouldn't it be awesome if a Malaysian is named the World Games' greatest of all time?
A case for Nicol David
Arguably the most accomplished women squash player in the history of the sport, Nicol David announced her retirement in February 2019.Throughout her 20-year career, David has racked up award after award, and winning tournament after tournament.
Here are five of her greatest achievements:
#1 Eight-time world champion
Winning the coveted World Champion title isn’t an easy task, but Nicol makes it look like a walk in the park after winning it eight times! The 35-year-old won her first title in 2005 and her last one in 2014. She also holds the record of the most championship titles for a female squash player.
#2 G.O.A.T
Getting the ‘Greatest of All Time’ recognition is a big thing because you need to be someone not only with a great track record but truly legendary to earn it. And Nicol proved her prowess on court after being voted as the G.O.A.T by squash fans around the world in 2018.
#3 Longest reigning no.1 player in the world
If you ask Nicol what’s her favourite number, she’d probably answer one because she wouldn’t know any other number than that. That's because she held on to the number one spot for over nine years! The World Champion currently holds the record for the longest consecutive number one streak (109 months) and the most months at the top (112 months).
#4 Youngest person ever to be awarded a Datukship
At the tender age of 25, Nicol was conferred the Darjah Setia Pangkuan Negeri award (DSPN) which carries the title Datuk by the Penang government in 2008. She became the youngest person ever to receive the award from the state.
#5 56-match winning streak
Winning any competition requires a lot of hard work and dedication, and Nicol’s level of dedication and passion to her sport led her to a staggering 56-match winning streak! Wow, wonder how it feels like to be unbeaten that many times. She is truly the walking definition of an icon, and she definitely deserves to be called the G.O.A.T.