Kuala Lumpur: CIMB Group today held a private celebration to honour its long-standing brand ambassador, Dato’ Nicol David for setting a new world record as the longest-reigning world number one squash player. February 2015 marked her 106th month being at the top of the Women’s World Squash Rankings, overtaking the 105 month record set in 1993 by New Zealand’s Susan Devoy.
Commenting on her success, Tengku Dato’ Zafrul Abdul Aziz, Group Chief Executive of CIMB Group said, “We are extremely proud and in awe of Nicol’s achievements and consistency, to not only be world number one, but to retain that position for 108 months consecutively. Back then in 2006 when CIMB endorsed Nicol as our brand ambassador, we foresaw great talent and potential in her and today, she has done us proud in placing our country on the world map. Her attitude, determination, mental strength and passion for the game are admirable and inspiring. CIMB is honoured to be in association with Nicol in the world sporting arena.”
“This is a great achievement for me but I am surely not resting on my laurels. With all my achievements up till now is a result of sheer hard work and determination to keep improving myself to be a better squash player. I am looking forward to my next tournaments and will strive just as hard to maintain my position as world number one. I would like to thank CIMB for their unwavering support for the past 9 years. Their support has played an instrumental role in my growth throughout the years and getting me to where I am today,” Nicol commented.
Nicol started playing squash at the tender age of 5. She first won the World Junior Championship at the age of 15 in 1999, making her the youngest woman to claim the title and subsequently claimed it again in 2001 making her the first player to win the title twice. She became CIMB’s brand ambassador in January 2006, when she first clinched the world number one ranking in women’s squash. Since then, she had participated and won in many tournaments around the world leading to her achievement of royal and state awards in honour of her contribution to the Malaysian sporting scene.
Nicol’s astonishing achievements recently added to her glittering career which includes winning the WSA World Squash Championships, one of the two most prestigious titles in squash, for the 8th time in 2014 making her the only squash female player to have won as many to date. Besides, Nicol claimed her 5th title in 2014 in an equally prestigious title, the British Open. She also managed to secure gold medals in the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the 2014 Incheon Asian Games.
CIMB Group has been a strong supporter in the development of squash in the country. Apart from its most notable sponsorship of Dato’ Nicol David, it was also the title sponsor for the Malaysian Open Squash Championship and the Kuala Lumpur Open Squash Championships for many years. In addition, CIMB supports the Junior Squash Development Programme in collaboration with the Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia (SRAM) and have nurtured approximately 4200 number of players since 2006.
