Malaysian squash legend Nicol David has been named The World Games’ ‘Greatest Athlete of All Time‘.
The award was announced on Monday (1 Feb) in a 35-second video posted on The World Games’ Facebook page.
In an online poll, the 37-year-old garnered a total of 318,943 votes, beating 24 other sports legends nominees to bring home the award.
The first runner-up is Irish tug of war legend James Kehoe with 113,120 votes, followed by Ukrainian powerlifter Larysa Soloviova with 80,790 votes.
German lifesaver Marcel Hassemeier gained 79,760 votes which lands him the third-runner up spot. A total of 1,204,637 votes were cast in the poll.
“It’s a huge honour to be nominated by the World Games for this award and to gain so much support from everyone in Malaysia and the squash community. It certainly came as a surprise to see me amongst these top athletes, and I’m grateful for this.,” Nicol commented on her achievement, as cited by New Straits Times.
“Hopefully, this award can elevate more attention for the future of squash, and it’s also a proud moment for Malaysia and Asia,” she added.
The Penang-born athlete also took to Twitter to express her gratitude. In a reply to Team Malaysia – the flag bearer of sports in Malaysia – on Twitter, she thanked everyone for all the “votes and love”.
Thank you so much for all the votes and love ♥️
— Nicol David (@NicolDavid) February 1, 2021
Over on Nicol’s Facebook page, netizens congratulated her on her prestigious achievement. Many said that the title she earned is “well-deserved”, as they hailed her an “inspiration” for all.
A handful others also praised Nicol for her continuous hard work and dedication which make Malaysians proud.