NSW Champions of Sport – Michelle Martin OAM

Join us as we celebrate the past winners of the NSW Sports Awards spanning over 20 years of sporting excellence and achievement – as we countdown to the inaugural NSW Champions of Sport, where, for the first time, the induction of new entrants into the NSW Hall of Champions will be combined with the NSW Sports Awards in one gala ceremony. 

In the lead up to the event, we will look back to our past crowned NSW Athlete of the Year and NSW Athlete of the Year with a Disability winners as they share their great joys and triumphs as well as life post their ‘dream year’ with successes both on and off the field.

Sport: Squash
NSW Athlete of the Year: 1994 and 1995

One of the world’s leading squash players in the 1990’s, Michelle Martin’s achievements over her twelve-year career are quite outstanding.

Michelle was the inaugural winner of the NSW Athlete of the Year in 1994 and went back-to-back by claiming the award again in 1995.

She first started competing professionally in 1987 and represented Australia in the World Team Squash Championships in Auckland, where she helped her team get to the final for the first time in four years.

After almost quitting the sport altogether, Michelle’s career managed to find new heights when she won her first of seven Australian Open’s in 1991 and was a part of the team that won the 1992 World Team Squash Championships in Vancouver. These victories were just signs of even better things to come.

1993 was the start of Michelle’s absolute peak. In March she gained the number one ranking in women’s squash for the first time. This was achieved by winning the Women’s World Open Squash Championship in Johannesburg and going through the entire tournament without losing a single game. 1993 was also the year she won her first of six British Opens and her second Australian Open.

1994 and 1995, the years in which Michelle won the NSW Athlete of the Year award, were the most successful years of her career. In 1994 she managed to achieve the ‘double’ by winning both the World Open and the World Team Championships both held on the island of Guernsey. In both tournaments Michelle won every single game. In 1995 Michelle also won her third consecutive World Open in Hong Kong, despite the competition heating up in the form of compatriot Sarah Fitzgerald.

In 1998 squash made its debut at the Commonwealth Games and Michelle travelled to Kuala Lumpur to compete. The Games were a great success with Michelle winning the first Women’s Singles and Mixed Doubles Gold medals. In reflecting on the games Michelle simply said “I never had such sore cheeks from smiling after the win.”

On the back of her Commonwealth Games performance 1998 was also the year Michelle was inducted into the NSW Hall of Champions an honour she holds in very high regard.

In 1999 after winning the US Open Michelle announced her retirement after “achieving all her goals in the sport.”

Since retirement Michelle continues to play squash at a local level and coached both the junior and senior Australian Teams until 2010.

The cream of NSW Sports stars from both past and present will be celebrated at the NSW Champions of Sport Ceremony to be held at Rosehill Gardens on Monday 27 November 2017.

For more information on the NSW Champions of Sport Ceremony and to secure your seat visit: www.sportnsw.com.au/2017ChampionsofSport