GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — Nicol David hopes her gold medal in squash at the Commonwealth Games can offer "a little bit of a boost" for her home country of Malaysia after the anguish caused by two airline tragedies.
David dashed from the court to greet Malaysian fans celebrating their country's 50th gold medal in Commonwealth Games history.
More than 6,500 miles (10,000 kms) from home, Malaysia's sporting icon provided a flash of joy Monday, fighting back to beat Laura Massaro 12-10, 11-2, 11-5 in the final in Glasgow.
David says she hopes her victory "can play a role in bringing a little bit of a boost for our country because we have gone through a tough time."
Based in Amsterdam, David had flown the same MH-17 route to Kuala Lumpur that saw a Malaysian Airlines jet shot down earlier this month over Ukraine. Malaysia was already struggling to cope with the loss of MH-370, which vanished after takeoff in March.