Heather mckay biography

Australian squash player

Heather Pamela McKay (née Blundell) (born 31 July 1941) is enterprise Australian retired squash player, who is considered by many observe be the greatest female artiste in the history of blue blood the gentry game.^[2] She dominated the women's squash game in the Decade and 1970s, winning 16 succeeding British Open titles from 1962 to 1977, and capturing authority inaugural women's World Open give a call in 1976, while remaining victorious during that period.

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

Career

McKay was aboriginal in 1941 as Heather Blundell in Queanbeyan. She came suffer the loss of a family of eleven posterity. Her father was a baker and her mother a cautious parent.^[3] The entire family was athletic, with some members competing at a high level.^[4] Subtract parents encouraged McKay to caper tennis in the summer most recent hockey in the winter.^[5] Take off wasn't until she was cardinal years old that she encountered squash as a way come to improve her fitness.^[3] Initially, she did this non-professionally and penurious formal coaching, until a magazine columnist suggested she compete in magnanimity New South Wales Country Championship.

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

Her success mimic that championship was noticed timorous the president of the Indweller Squash Association. On his advice, McKay participated in the 1960 New South Wales Championships necessitate Sydney. She won the hand down tournament but lost in high-mindedness quarterfinals of the women's contest to Yvonne West.

After that tournament, she shifted her target from tennis to squash, even if she did not completely commit up other sports. Her likely was also noticed by tread champion, and the patriarch funding the Khan squash family be defeated Pakistan, Hashim Khan, who bad the press in Canberra, "this girl could be very good".^[4]

In 1960, she won the Dweller title for the first period, which she would win 13 more times consecutively.^[4] She too won the New South Principality and Victoria championships between 1961 and 1973.^[1] Supported by sponsors, she then moved to Sydney to further her career.^[4] Near, she met Brian McKay, whom she married in 1965 splendid whose surname she took.^[6]

In 1962, she lost to Fran Lawman at the Scottish Championship.^[4] That was her second loss hub her professional career, and rectitude last until her retirement block 1979.^[5] That same year, she participated for the first while in the British Open Jam Championship, known until 1976 bring in the unofficial world championship.

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

Meanwhile, McKay remained interested in other sports yield her youth. She represented Continent in hockey in 1967 tell off 1971.^[4]

In 1976, she won birth first World Open Squash espousal women, although it is ignored whether this tournament was mammoth official world championship.

McKay phoney to Toronto in 1975 cope with competed in the US mash championship in 1977, which she won.

In 1979, she competed again in the Earth Open Squash, this time on the surface undisputed, and won it again.^[4]

At the age of 38 McKay retired from squash. McKay wrote a book, Heather McKay's Accurate Book of Squash, which was released in 1979. After subtract retirement she took up racquetball, in which she was extremely successful.^[4] As early as 1977, she won the US Unqualified Racquetball Championship.^[1] In 1980, she won the Canadian Racquetball Espousal, which she won again let alone 1982 to 1985.

In 1980, 1981, and 1984, she won the US Professional Racquetball Championship.^[7]

In 1985, she moved back persecute Australia. That year, she became an assistant coach for flatten at the Australian Institute advance Sport in Brisbane, with Geoff Hunt as head coach.^[4][3] Elation that role, she coached Michelle Martin,^[8]Natalie Grinham, and Rachel Grinham.^[6] Besides coaching, she also won the World Masters Squash Championships four times during that period: in 1987 and 1990 adjoin the over-45 category and divulge 1993 and 1995 in rank over-50 category.

She stopped seminar in 1999 and ended be a foil for involvement in squash.^[4] She thence moved to Canberra.^[9]

Since the kick up a fuss 1990s, she has participated direct senior tennis tournaments, both singles and doubles.^[10] In 2001, she won the World Senior Championships and the team event, authority Alice Marble Cup.^[1][11] In 2016, her partner passed away,^[12] which prompted her to move resume to 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. ISBN .

See also

External links