Cover Malaysian squash legend and eight-time world champion Datuk Nicol Ann David shares what she's most excited for this month at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris (Photo: Fady Younis)
Malaysian squash legend and eight-time world champion Datuk Nicol Ann David shares what she's most excited for this month at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris (Photo: Fady Younis)
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Malaysian squash legend and eight-time world champion Datuk Nicol Ann David shares what she's most excited for this month at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris
“Hi! I’m Nicol David and today is July 26, 2023. It is exactly one year till the Olympic Games in Paris 2024,” said Datuk Nicol Ann David one year ago this month, in a video by the Olympic Council of Malaysia. In the video shared on social media, the beaming new deputy Chef de Mission for the Malaysian contingent at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games proudly shared her best wishes for the Malaysian athletes fighting to qualify for the Games.
Fast forward to this July, the former squash champion’s dream is closer than ever to coming true as the Summer Olympics in Paris draw near.
“It is such an honour and a privilege to lead the team with the Chef de Mission, to know that the country and the Sports ministry recognise that I have a place at the Olympic Games as a source of motivation and support to the other athletes,” David told Tatler this month, adding that she considers her deputy Chef de Mission appointment as the biggest honour of her sporting career to date.
Read more: Courting Greatness: a retrospective look at Malaysian badminton achievements
Above Eight-time squash world champion Datuk Nicol Ann David shares what she's most excited for at Paris 2024 (Photo: Fady Younis)
Eight-time squash world champion Datuk Nicol Ann David shares what she's most excited for at Paris 2024 (Photo: Fady Younis)
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Her message to all Malaysians ahead of the Games? Keep your spirits up and keep showing love and support for our athletes as they inch closer to competing in what is the most difficult sporting event in the world.
This month as the retired squash champ makes her way to Paris alongside the inspiring athletes and coaches in the Malaysian contingent for her first Olympic Games, we look at four highlights that David is most excited for, from a one-of-a-kind opening ceremony at the Games to the female Malaysian athletes who inspire her.
See also: Who are the Malaysian athletes who have qualified for the Paris Olympics 2024?
The Olympic Games opening ceremony and Olympic Village
“One of the first things I look forward to seeing is the Olympic Village. It is going to be a fantastic experience. Seeing all our athletes excited to be in the village together and experiencing that with them is what I look forward to most,” says David.
“I think that and going into the opening ceremony together will be pretty overwhelming. We’ll be entering in on a boat on the Seine River. It will be a brand new setting for the opening ceremony. Being there with the Malaysian team will be such a proud moment for me. It may be like when the Commonwealth Games was hosted in Malaysia when I was 14, and the stadium was in an uproar–I will always remember that moment and I think this will be kind of similar, except that we’re in Paris and it’s the Olympics.
Don’t miss: David Nicol on what Squash’s Olympic debut means for the future of the sport
“Obviously, the greatest highlight I’ll look forward to is seeing our athletes competing, and shouting my heart out for them in every sporting event. I think I will lose my voice halfway, but I'll make a point to sustain it to the very end. I’ll also most likely be bawling my eyes out too (laughs).”
Supporting Team Malaysia at the Games
While she has never before competed in the Olympic Games, David is certainly no stranger to the gruelling pressure of competition and will be ready to support the athletes who in pursuit of a gold medal in badminton, diving, archery, cycling and other sports at the Summer Olympics.
“The pressure they experience will be immense. Hopefully I will be able to use what I’ve experienced in big events like the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, World Championships and so on to put myself in their shoes and give them that little bit of encouragement to say ‘This is the final hurdle, you just have to go in and do your best’.
“It’s about focusing on each day, making sure they fulfil the day’s requirements and then the next day’s and the next. It’s making sure they know how they’re going to prepare, plan for their opponents or plan strategies whenever the need arises, rather than thinking too far ahead. I hope that I can give as much of that support and positive reinforcement to our athletes so they feel that they are not alone out there.”
Inspiring athletes in the Malaysian contingent
Over the past year, David and Chef de Mission Datuk Hamidin Amin have had the chance to meet personally with the various Malaysian athletes who have qualified for the Games. While it’s impossible to name just a few out of this incredibly inspiring contingent, David is especially filled with pride at those who have beat expectations and overcome incredible challenges to be in Paris this year.
Read more: Bertrand Rhodict Lises, the first Malaysian athlete to qualify for the Olympic Games Paris 2024
“When our female archery team made the cut, it was a huge achievement for them. We were only expecting only one qualifying athlete, and now the whole women’s team is going, so that’s really exciting.
“Our first ever female road cyclist to compete in the Games, Nur Aisyah Mohamad Zubir is going to be fantastic, the first Malaysian woman to compete in a road event at the Olympics.
“Our badminton team is doing so great. Female cyclist Nurul Izzah Izzati Mohd Asri is another athlete to look out for, [proof of] the amazing calibre of our women’s teams. Then of course there is Dato’ Azizulhasni Awang who came out from surgery and is now fighting his heart out, literally. Athletes like this are going to make the Games so exciting and I can’t wait for it.”
Pulling athletes through the grind of competition
With pride, David notes that Malaysian netizens are always ready and willing to show their support for local athletes whenever possible.
“The Malaysian public have always been supportive as they wait for that illustrious Olympic gold medal. Right now, I want our athletes to do their best and get as many medals as they can.
“Ultimately, we need to understand that the Olympics are the hardest and most challenging events that any athlete can encounter. It is not an easy task, and just qualifying for it is a huge achievement and honour on its own. The next step is for the athletes to bring their A-game on the day. The more positive support that they get from the rest of the country, the more they know they deserve a spot in that arena, representing Malaysia in the toughest athletic battle out there.”
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Previously contributing to Esquire Malaysia, Expat Lifestyle and Newsweek, Tania oversees digital stories across Tatler’s key content pillars, also leading the Front & Female platform exploring issues and topics affecting women today.
