Nicol David has been conferred Darjah Setia Pahlawan Negeri which carries the title ‘Datuk’.

The award will be given by the Yang Dipertua Negeri of Penang, Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas tomorrow, in conjunction with his 70th birthday.

Nicol is currently the world’s number woman squash player and has hold the position for 2 years. She is also the first Asian player to become the world champion. Since winning the world title more than 2 years ago, she lost the number one rank once but later came back with a bang and has not lost the grip since.

Nicol faces great rivalry from the Grinham sisters – Natalie and Rachael, Natalie Grainger, Tania Bailey and Shelly Kitchen but so far has fended off her competitors well to keep his status intact. In 2007 Nicol created a record after establishing a 51-match unbeaten streak and did not lose a game for 13 months.

Despite achieving similar status as the likes of Tiger Wood in golf and Roger Federer in Tennis, Nicol has not been enjoying a glaring publicity in her own country, and more often than not, was often overshadowed by players in other sports, particularly badminton and football.

Last month, the squash queen was also given the Darjah Bakti (DB) or “Order of Merit” award by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. The DB, established in 1975, is only limited to 10 people who have significantly contributed in arts, science and humanity, with Nicole the first ever recipient of it.

Congrats Nicol. You deserves the title more than anyone else.