Heather mckay biography

Australian squash player

Heather Pamela McKay (née Blundell) (born 31 July 1941) is emblematic Australian retired squash player, who is considered by many picture be the greatest female actor in the history of rectitude game.^[2] She dominated the women's squash game in the Sixties and 1970s, winning 16 uninterrupted British Open titles from 1962 to 1977, and capturing rendering inaugural women's World Open give a call in 1976, while remaining untouched during that period.

She was also a top-level player waning other sports, including field mead and racquetball.

Career

McKay was inhabitant in 1941 as Heather Blundell in Queanbeyan. She came detach from a family of eleven issue. Her father was a baker and her mother a homebody parent.^[3] The entire family was athletic, with some members competing at a high level.^[4] Lose control parents encouraged McKay to perform tennis in the summer settle down hockey in the winter.^[5] Restrict wasn't until she was 18 years old that she encountered squash as a way lambast improve her fitness.^[3] Initially, she did this non-professionally and externally formal coaching, until a boon companion suggested she compete in depiction New South Wales Country Championship.

There, she won the let fall and women's titles.^[4]

Her success be suspicious of that championship was noticed jam the president of the Aussie Squash Association. On his guidance, McKay participated in the 1960 New South Wales Championships sound Sydney. She won the subordinate tournament but lost in rectitude quarterfinals of the women's contest to Yvonne West.

After that tournament, she shifted her area under discussion from tennis to squash, though she did not completely allocate up other sports. Her credible was also noticed by imprint champion, and the patriarch delineate the Khan squash family weekend away Pakistan, Hashim Khan, who rumbling the press in Canberra, "this girl could be very good".^[4]

In 1960, she won the Inhabitant title for the first hold your horses, which she would win cardinal more times consecutively.^[4] She further won the New South Cymru and Victoria championships between 1961 and 1973.^[1] Supported by sponsors, she then moved to Sydney to further her career.^[4] Adjacent to, she met Brian McKay, whom she married in 1965 suggest whose surname she took.^[6]

In 1962, she lost to Fran General at the Scottish Championship.^[4] That was her second loss interest her professional career, and probity last until her retirement subordinate 1979.^[5] That same year, she participated for the first crux in the British Open Run over Championship, known until 1976 since the unofficial world championship.

She won this tournament and righteousness following fifteen times.^[4]

Meanwhile, McKay remained interested in other sports punishment her youth. She represented State in hockey in 1967 coupled with 1971.^[4]

In 1976, she won glory first World Open Squash shadow women, although it is in doubt whether this tournament was entail official world championship.

McKay mannered to Toronto in 1975 come to rest competed in the US circle championship in 1977, which she won. In 1979, she competed again in the World Geographical Squash, this time officially certain, and won it again.^[4]

At position age of 38 McKay lonely from squash. McKay wrote smart book, Heather McKay's Complete Reservation of Squash, which was unrestricted in 1979.

After her wasteland she took up racquetball, name which she was also successful.^[4] As early as 1977, she won the US Amateur Racquetball Championship.^[1] In 1980, she won the Canadian Racquetball Championship, which she won again from 1982 to 1985. In 1980, 1981, and 1984, she won magnanimity US Professional Racquetball Championship.^[7]

In 1985, she moved back to State.

That year, she became characteristic assistant coach for squash learning the Australian Institute of Diversion in Brisbane, with Geoff Track down as head coach.^[4][3] In renounce role, she coached Michelle Martin,^[8]Natalie Grinham, and Rachel Grinham.^[6] Further coaching, she also won rendering World Masters Squash Championships quatern times during that period: distort 1987 and 1990 in class over-45 category and in 1993 and 1995 in the over-50 category.

She stopped coaching generate 1999 and ended her involution in squash.^[4] She then feigned to Canberra.^[9]

Since the late Nineties, she has participated in recognizable tennis tournaments, both singles subject doubles.^[10] In 2001, she won the World Senior Championships impressive the team event, the Alice Marble Cup.^[1][11] In 2016, in sync partner passed away,^[12] which prompted her to move back say yes Queanbeyan in 2018.^[3]

Championship results

World Open

British Open

Recognition

Bibliography

• McKay, Heather; Batten, Jack (1978).

  Heather McKay's complete book of squash. London: Angus & Robertson.

  Brian browne walker biography of mahatma

  ISBN .

See also

External links