ISLAMABAD: Malaysian retired squash player Nicol David and Pakistani great Jansher Khan have been honored this week as the newest members of the Professional Squash Association (PSA) Hall of Fame at a ceremony held in Hong Kong, the body said on X.
David and Khan became the third and fourth members of the PSA Hall of Fame, which was launched earlier this year to recognize the achievements of the game’s most influential characters, past and present. David and Khan have joined inaugural inductees Susan Devoy from New Zealand, and Jahangir Khan, another Pakistani legend, in the PSA Hall of Fame as the association continues to celebrate its greatest icons.
“Congratulations to Nicol David and Jansher Khan,” PSA said in a social media post showing a picture of the two receiving the honor on the eve of the Hong Kong Squash Open.
A key part of the Pakistani dominance of the sport throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Jansher Khan won the World Championships eight times – a record in the men’s game – and also added six British Open titles to a glittering trophy haul.
A World No.1 for 97 months throughout his career, Khan’s final professional title count of 99 is the greatest of any player since records began.
“I feel very happy … I’m very happy to come to Hong Kong, see my old friends. It’s an honor to get this award,” Khan said in a statement released by PSA.
David is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of squash, with her career including an unprecedented eight World Championship titles and an unmatched 108-month reign as the World No.1. She also took home five British Open titles and won two Commonwealth Games gold medals.
Since retiring, David has founded the Nicol David Organization, one of the Squash for Development programs that the PSA Foundation supports. The 41-year-old was announced as a member of the Laureus World Sports Academy – a recognized group of 69 sporting legends – in 2021.
“After doing so much in my squash career, you sometimes don’t realize how much you’ve done until the moment when you are given this opportunity to be recognized in a hall of fame,” David said in a PSA statement. “That’s when you you go ‘This is it!’ And I I feel amazing, it’s such an honor and I would like to thank PSA for honoring me.”
PSA Chief Executive Alex Gough said: “Nicol and Jansher are two of the most iconic figures in the history of squash and have both left a lasting legacy in the sport.
“Nicol inspired so many squash players – in Malaysia and across the globe – and her record of nine unbroken years at the summit of the world rankings will surely never be bettered. She is a fantastic ambassador for the sport and it was fantastic to see her honored with the title of Deputy Chef de Mission at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games this summer.
“Like Nicol, Jansher’s name will forever be linked to squash and the records he has amassed across the men’s game are nothing short of incredible. We are pleased to have had the opportunity to celebrate both players.”
