Nicol David in record World Games gold bid

London, June 2, 2017: Malaysia’s eight-time women’s world squash champion Nicol David is bidding to win a record fourth World Games gold medal when the 2017 event takes place in Poland next month.

Squash’s fifth appearance in the World Games, the multi-sport event for non-Olympic sports, will take place at the 33-court Hasta la Vista club in Wroclaw from 25-28 July.

Nicol David won gold in the 2005 Games in Duisburg, Germany, then the 2009 event in Kaohsiung, Chinese Taipei, before retaining the title in the Cali Games in 2013 in Colombia.

The 33-year-old from Penang (pictured above after her 2013 gold medal triumph), who topped the world rankings for an unprecedented 112 months until August 2015, is the No.2 seed – and expected to face French favourite Camille Serme, the world No.3, in the final.

A new gold medallist is assured in the men’s championship where 2013 runner-up Simon Rösner, the world No.11 from Germany, is the top seed. The 29-year-old from Paderborn is predicted to line up against Max Lee, the No.2 seed from Hong Kong, in the final.

The 2017 Games has attracted squash players from 27 nations.

Men’s 1st round draw:
[1] Simon Rösner (GER) v Wojciech Nowisz (POL)
[9/16] Rhys Dowling (AUS) v Daniel Mekbib (CZE)
[9/16] Ivan Yuen (MAS) v Matias Tuomi (FIN)
[5/8] Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL) v Vasile Hapun (ROM)
[5/8] Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) v Lau Ulrik Kiehn (DEN)
[9/16] Douglas Kempsell (GBR) v Joe Chapman (IVB)
[9/16] Raphael Kandra (GER) v Ahmed Hany Hussein (EGY)
[3/4] Cesar Salazar (MEX) v Balázs Farkas (HUN)
[3/4] Diego Elias (PER) v Alex Eustace (AUS)
[9/16] Nafiizwan Adnan (MAS) v Diego Gobbi (BRA)
[9/16] Joe Lee (GBR) v Yuri Farneti (ITA)
[5/8] Yip Tsz Fung (HKG) v Kostiantyn Rybalchenko (UKR)
[5/8] Gregoire Marche (FRA) v Mateusz Kotra (POL)
[9/16] Shehab Essam (EGY) v Rory Stewart (GBR)
[9/16] Joshua Masters (GBR) v Jan Koukal (CZE)
[2] Max Lee (HKG) v Alexey Severinov (RUS)

Women’s 1st round draw:
[1] Camille Serme (FRA) v Natalia Ryfa (POL)
[9/16] Alison Thomson (GBR) v Tessa ter Sluis (NED)
[9/16] Catalina Pelaez (COL) v Ineta Mackevica (LAT)
[5/8] Nadine Shahin (EGY) v Thaisa Serafini (BRA)
[5/8] Fiona Moverley (GBR) v Nadiia Usenko (UKR)
[9/16] Misaki Kobayashi (JPN) v Zuzana Kubáňová (CZE)
[9/16] Rachel Arnold (MAS) v Anna Serme (CZE)
[3/4] Annie Au (HKG) v Céline Walser (SUI)
[3/4] Joey Chan (HKG) v Alina Bushma (UKR)
[9/16] Milou van der Heijden (NED) v Jessica Turnbull (AUS)
[9/16] Nele Gilis (BEL) v Lisa Aitken (GBR)
[5/8] Coline Aumard (FRA) v Csenge Kiss-Máté (HUN)
[5/8] Millie Tomlinson (GBR) v Magda Kamińska (POL)
[9/16] Tamika Saxby (AUS) v Sina Wall (GER)
[9/16] Samantha Teran (MEX) v Cristina Gomez (ESP)
[2] Nicol David (MAS) v Irina Beliaeva (RUS). —- WSF