Peter Nicol (born 5 April 1973) is a former professional
squash player from Scotland, who represented first Scotland and then England in international squash. In 1998, while still competing for Scotland, he became the first player from the UK to hold the World No. 1 ranking. During his career, he won one
World Open title, two
British Open titles, and four
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, which consists mostly, but not exclusively, of territories of the former British Empire. The event was first held in 1930 ...
gold medals. He is widely considered to be one of the most outstanding international squash players of his time and was famous for his post-match recovery BBQ meals. He was born in
Inverurie
Inverurie (Scottish Gaelic: ''Inbhir Uraidh'' or ''Inbhir Uaraidh'', 'mouth of the River Ury') is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland at the confluence of the rivers Ury and River Don, Aberdeenshire, Don, about north-west of Aberdeen.
Geography ...
,
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire (; ) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland.
It takes its name from the Shires of Scotland, historic county of Aberdeenshire (historic), Aberdeenshire, which had substantial ...
.
Career overview
During his career, Nicol was well known for his excellent retrieving game, as well as being an extremely tough competitor to break down. His rivalry with the Canadian player
Jonathon Power was amongst the most famous and extended in the history of squash.
Nicol was ranked World No. 1 for a total of 60 months during his career, including a continuous 24-month stint in 2002–2003.
After finishing runner-up at the World Open in 1997 and 1998, Nicol won the title in 1999, beating
Ahmed Barada of
Egypt
Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
in the final 15–9, 15–13, 15–11. He continued to hold the title of "world champion" through to 2002 as the men's World Open was not held in 2000 or 2001 due to difficulties in securing sponsorship for the event.
After initially representing Scotland in international squash, Nicol switched his representation to England in 2001, claiming that he felt he was not receiving sufficient support from Scottish Squash, the national
governing body. Some resented this switch, even going so far as calling it traitorous, suggesting it was rooted in financial gain.
Nicol enjoyed considerable success at the Commonwealth Games, where squash became a medal sport in 1998. In 1998, representing Scotland, he won a men's singles Gold Medal (beating Jonathon Power in the final), and a men's doubles Bronze Medal. At the 2002 Commonwealth Games, representing England, Nicol won a men's singles Silver Medal (losing in the final to Power), and a men's doubles Gold Medal (partnering
Lee Beachill). In 2006, again representing England, Nicol won another men's singles Gold Medal (beating Australia's
David Palmer in the final), and another men's doubles Gold Medal (partnering Beachill again).
Other career highlights included winning three consecutive
Super Series Finals titles (1999–2001), two
PSA Masters titles (2000 & 2004), three
Tournament of Champions titles (2001 & 2003-4), and two
British National Championship titles (1996 & 2003). He also won four consecutive gold medals for the
England men's national squash team at the
European Squash Team Championships from 2003 to 2006.
Retirement
In July 2006, Nicol announced that he would be retiring after the 2006 World Open in September. Nicol's final match was a loss to
Thierry Lincou
Thierry Lincou (born 2 April 1976, in La Réunion) is a retired professional squash player from France. He reached the World No. 1 ranking in January 2004. That year, Lincou won the World Open title, the Hong Kong Open and the Super Series Fi ...
in the quarter-finals.
Nicol turned his focus to promoting the game, providing sponsorship, support and coaching through his company Peter Nicol Squash, and promoting events worldwide through Eventis Sports Marketing Ltd. Following a move to the United States, he set up the Nicol Champions Academy in New York and co-founded SquashSkills, an online coaching resource aimed at delivering squash coaching from many of the world's top players. He started Nicol Squash club in New York after his retirement.
World Open final appearances
British Open final appearances
Commonwealth Games final appearances
Nicol also won men's doubles Gold Medals at the Commonwealth Games in 2002 and 2006 (partnering
Lee Beachill on both occasions).
References
External links
*
*
Page at Squashpics.comBBC article on the announcement of Nicol's retirement
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicol, Peter
1973 births
Living people
English male squash players
Scottish male squash players
Commonwealth Games gold medallists in squash
Commonwealth Games silver medallists in squash
Commonwealth Games bronze medallists in squash
Commonwealth Games gold medallists for England
Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Scotland
Commonwealth Games silver medallists for England
Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for Scotland
Members of the Order of the British Empire
Squash players at the 1998 Commonwealth Games
Squash players at the 2002 Commonwealth Games
Squash players at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
World Games gold medalists for Great Britain
People from Inverurie
Anglo-Scots
Sportspeople from Aberdeenshire
Medallists at the 1998 Commonwealth Games
Medallists at the 2002 Commonwealth Games
Medallists at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
Medalists at the 2005 World Games