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2001 World Junior Women's Championships:
Press
release - finals
Nicol
David becomes first ever to win two successive World Junior titles
All content © 2001 Squashtalk
by Howard Harding, London,
21 July 2001
All content ©
2001 Squashtalk
WORLD SQUASH NEWS RESULTS:
Women's World Junior Individual Squash Championship, Penang, Malaysia
Finals: [1] Nicol David (Mal) bt [2] Omneya Abdel Kawy (Egy) 9-2, 9-4, 9-2 17 minutes.
HISTORIC WIN FOR MALAYSIAN WOMAN
Malaysian schoolgirl Nicol David wrote her name into the squash history books today (Saturday) in Penang, Malaysia, when she became the first person to win the women's world junior title for the second time.
In front of a packed crowd of adoring fans in the Penang International Sports Arena in her hometown, the 17-year-old top seed crushed Egypt's No2 seed Omneya Abdel Kawy 9-2 9-4 9-2 in the final of the Women's World Junior Championship in just 17 minutes to retain the title she first won in Antwerp, Belgium, two years ago. Indeed, such was the margin of her supremacy over the field in the seven-day championship, that she dropped just 22 points in her six matches, and extended her record of conceding no games in the tournament since reaching the quarter-finals of the 1997 event in Brazil as a thirteen-year-old!
"It feels great, this was better than
the first time, winning it twice," said the 
exuberant
double champion afterwards. "It was a great relief. There was a lot of pressure,
but had I let it all affect me I would have broken down. But I had all my
family and my coach here to keep me relaxed and focussed. In the second game
she controlled the play for three or four points, but I kept playing my game."
Ahmed Tahir, the Egyptian coach, conceded that Nicol had played the right game: "She moved Omneya around the court and kept her in the corners to prevent her from playing the boast which she does so well." Abdel Kawy, who like David is ranked in the senior WISPA world top thirty, added: "I could not match her at all. She was too good and kept the ball deep. I wasn't allowed to play my natural game. I was nervous, I got tired and lost to a better player," said the disappointed Egyptian who, at just fifteen years of age, will have a further chance to win this title.
Malaysia's head coach Major S. Maniam had been confident of Nicol winning. "She has been in excellent form and I could not envisage any other result," he remarked. Two years ago, Nicol David defeated her compatriot Leong Siu Lynn in the final - but this was on home turf and with it there were additional pressures.
"This win was something special and she dedicated it to the late Malaysian SRA President Dato Alex Lee who had played such a major role in promoting her," Maniam added. "We knew it was important for Nicol to pin Omneya to the back of the court. What impressed me was her ability to handle the crowd pressure too. This was the biggest audience I have seen for a world junior final. In the second game, there were a few good rallies and she came out of it well. That made a difference," said Maniam.
A further double is in sight for the
new world junior champion: Nicol David will lead Malaysia in the team championship
which will begin tomorrow (Sunday). Malaysia, who have never before won the
title, were confirmed as top seeds on Friday.
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