Datuk Nicol Ann David

Recipient of Outstanding Contribution to Humanities, Arts & Sports 2026

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Excellence Beyond the Court

For Datuk Nicol Ann David, it began with something wonderfully uncomplicated, she loved to play squash.

What followed was a career that took a young girl from Penang to the highest levels of international competition, carrying Malaysia’s name onto courts around the world. Yet nearly three decades after she first represented the country, Datuk Nicol’s story is increasingly defined not only by what she achieved as an athlete, but by how she is using those achievements to create opportunities for others.

For Datuk Nicol, receiving the 2026 Merdeka Award for Outstanding Contribution to Humanities, Arts & Sports is deeply humbling. She never competed for awards. Her motivation was to become the best athlete she could be, represent Malaysia with pride and honour the people who supported her journey. She therefore regards the recognition as one shared with her family, coaches, teammates and Malaysians who stood behind her throughout her career.

A five-year-old Datuk Nicol getting ready for her kindergarten concert.

A Champion Shaped at Home

Datuk Nicol grew up in Penang with her parents and two older sisters in a family where sport, encouragement and humility were part of everyday life.

Her mother, Ann Marie, an English teacher, showed her patience and kindness, while her father, Desmond, a former Malaysian national football goalkeeper, offered an example of commitment to sport.

At five, Datuk Nicol followed her sisters to a public squash centre. By 10, she was representing Penang and soon after, Malaysia.

At 15, she became the first Malaysian woman to win the World Junior Squash Championship. It was an early indication that an athlete from Malaysia could challenge countries with far longer traditions in the sport.

What followed would redefine the possibilities for Malaysian squash. Datuk Nicol went on to win eight World Championship titles, 81 professional titles, Commonwealth gold medals and numerous Asian titles. Most notably, she held the World No. 1 ranking for 108 consecutive months from 2006 to 2015 – nine uninterrupted years at the summit of the sport.

For Datuk Nicol, reaching the top had demanded extraordinary talent and discipline. Staying there however, would demand something more.

Winning her second World Junior Open Title at the PISA Indoor Stadium, Penang in 2001 and becoming the first player to win two consecutive World Junior titles.

Datuk Nicol and sister, Cheryl, representing the Malaysian Junior Women’s team at the World Junior Women’s Team Champions in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1997.

Learning to Stay at the Top

Years of competing at the highest level brought pressure, difficult losses and moments of self-doubt.

Datuk Nicol learnt that sustained excellence required more than physical talent.

Her long-time coach, former World No. 2 Liz Irving, constantly challenged her to refine her game and learn from opponents. A psychologist helped her manage expectations, emotions and negativity, while her family and support team gave her the stability to maintain balance away from competition.

Over time, Datuk Nicol learnt to see setbacks differently. A defeat was not the end of progress; it was information about what needed to improve.

Her career also widened perceptions of what Malaysian and Asian women could achieve in professional sport. Greater pathways emerged for girls in Malaysian squash, including younger competitive categories. More than 1,000 junior girls across 14 states have since gained greater access to the sport.

Datuk Nicol has also remained close to the generation that followed, encouraging athletes including Sivasangari Subramaniam, Aifa Azman and Aira Azman as they established their own international career.

Datuk Nicol won her first ever World Junior Open Title in Antwerp, Belgium in 1999, becoming Malaysia’s first female athlete to win a World title.

Datuk Nicol at age 14, after winning her first Asian Individual Senior Championship title in Kuala Lumpur in 1998.

Liz Irving coaching Datuk Nicol during the 2013 US Open where she eventually won the title. Liz coached Datuk Nicol for 16 years, from 2003 until 2019.

Datuk Nicol claimed her eighth and final World Championship title in Cairo, Egypt in 2014,
defeating Raneem El Weleily 3-2 in the finals, in one of the biggest comebacks of her career.

Turning Sporting Lessons into Opportunity

When Datuk Nicol retired from professional squash in 2019, she
faced a different challenge, what should come after being World
No. 1?

Part of the answer came through former Colombian squash player Mariana de Reyes. Together, they began translating the lessons of elite sport into community development, building the Nicol David Organisation (NDO) based on the belief that sport can develop not only athletes, but healthier, more confident young people and stronger families.

Its Little Legends programme combines squash with English, life skills and other learning opportunities for children from underserved communities.

That work has expanded beyond children. Ibu Legends supports mothers through mental well-being, health, financial literacy and personal development. In 2025, it reached around 300 women. Bapa Legends, launched in 2026, creates a similar space for fathers to strengthen their physical, emotional and financial wellbeing while becoming positive role models within their families.

The organisation has also deliberately created pathways for women in coaching. Through internships and mentoring, young women have been trained into professional roles, with women now comprising about 80 per cent of NDO’s coaching team.

Datuk Nicol and CEO & co-founder, Mariana de Reyes launched the foundation in 2022 to empower children and communities through sport, education and mental health.

Taking Well-Being into Schools

Datuk Nicol’s vision has increasingly moved beyond the squash court.

Through +Play, NDO combines movement with positive psychology to help schoolchildren build healthier habits, confidence and resilience. In 2025, its programmes reached 2,181 children across 42 public schools and engaged 118 teachers.

+Play Cikgu helps educators become ambassadors for physical and mental well-being, while +Play Finance introduces financial literacy alongside movement and positive psychology. NDO has also partnered on programmes such as Hoops + Health, using basketball to support physical, social and emotional development.

Datuk Nicol has further brought attention to the relationship between sport and mental health, including through initiatives that encourage a more open conversation around athletes’ and young people’s well-being. Her relationship with national sport has evolved too. At the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Datuk Nicol served as Malaysia’s Deputy Chef de Mission, this time supporting another generation of athletes carrying the country’s hopes onto the world stage.

For Datuk Nicol, there is another milestone on the horizon. Squash will finally make its Olympic debut at Los Angeles 2028. She may never have had the opportunity to compete for an Olympic medal herself, but the players who
follow will step onto a stage her generation spent years helping the sport reach. Her influence has also extended well beyond the court. Since 2002, Datuk Nicol has served as a UNDP National Goodwill Ambassador, using her platform to support education, youth development, women’s advancement and access to opportunity.

The Little Legends programme currently has a total of 180 children aged 8 to twelve.

Success That Creates Possibility

Datuk Nicol’s sporting career has received international recognition, including being voted the World Games Greatest Athlete of All Time in 2020 and an induction into the PSA Hall of Fame in 2024.

Today, as Pro-Chancellor of Heriot-Watt University Malaysia, she continues to champion the development of our national athletes, while representing Malaysia at the Olympics and other major multi-sports games.

Yet amid these achievements, one of the lessons Datuk Nicol holds closest has little to do with winning. It came from her mother, who believed that winning mattered less than the person she became along the way.

Today, Datuk Nicol hopes young Malaysians will dream boldly, accept discomfort as part of growth and understand that excellence is built through consistency rather than perfection. More importantly, she believes achievement gains greater meaning when it helps someone else move forward.

Her journey reflects the Merdeka Award Trust’s commitment to recognising excellence that creates lasting benefit. From becoming World No. 1 to helping children, parents, teachers and young athletes discover their own potential, Datuk Nicol’s story shows how personal achievement can become a platform for collective possibility.

Datuk Nicol’s final year on the professional squash tour in 2019.

Today, Datuk Nicol creates impact through her foundation, motivational talks and ambassadorial roles.

“The more successful you are, the more humble you should be”

Disclaimer:
The information in this award recipient's profile is accurate to the best of our knowledge as of the time the award was presented. Any subsequent changes, updates, or developments in the individual's life or achievements may not be reflected in this profile.

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