Gamal Awad
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| Nationality | Egyptian | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 9 August 1955 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 6 November 2004 (aged 49) Alexandria, Egypt | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Highest ranking | 3 (January 1984) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Gamal Awad (Arabic: جَمَال عَوَض; 9 August 1955 – 6 November 2004) was an Egyptian squash player. He reached a career high ranking of 3 in the world during January 1984.[1]
Biography
[edit]Awad was the younger brother of Mohammed Awad, another notable Egyptian squash player.[2] Awad became the Egyptian national champion in 1976, and won the British Amateur championship during the 1977/78[3] and 1978/79 seasons.[4] He finished runner-up to Jahangir Khan at both the 1982 World Masters and the 1983 British Open.[2]
The match for which Awad is best remembered came at the Chichester Open in 1983 against Jahangir, which set a new world record for the longest squash match on record. The first game itself was a record for the longest single game in a squash match, as Awad recovered from 1–8 down to take the game 10–9 in 1 hour and 11 minutes. In the end, Jahangir won the match 9–10, 9–5, 9–7, 9–2 in 2 hours and 46 minutes.[5]
His first major open final was the 1980 World Masters title where he lost to Mohibullah Khan in the final.[6]
He achieved the highest ranking of his career, World No. 3, in January 1984.[7] Awad retired from the professional squash circuit in 1987, following problems with knee injuries.
Awad's acrobatic performances on the squash court earned him the nicknames "rubber man" and "grasshopper". He died of a heart attack on 6 November 2004 in Alexandria at the age of 49.[8]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Gamal Awad (Egypt)". Squash Info. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- 1 2 Palmer, Michael (1984). Guinness Book of Squash. Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 91. ISBN 0-85112-270-1.
- ↑ "Awad is British amateur champion". Birmingham Daily Post. 7 February 1978. p. 12. Retrieved 27 May 2026 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ↑ "Leighton is given a fright". Daily Express. 6 February 1979. p. 12. Retrieved 27 May 2026 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ↑ "Awad has champ in a sweat". Derby Daily Telegraph. 31 March 1983. p. 64. Retrieved 16 May 2026 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ↑ "Mohibullah is the master". Birmingham Mail. 8 November 1980. p. 31. Retrieved 23 May 2026 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ↑ "Squash Info | Gamal Awad | Squash". www.squashinfo.com. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ↑ "Grasshopper dies suddenly". Squash Player. 9 November 2004. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
External links
[edit]- Article at Squashtalk.com
- Article at Squashplayer.co.uk
- Gamal Awad at Squash Info
