KUALA LUMPUR: Nicol David saved four match points to snatch a record-extending eighth World Championship title from the jaws of defeat against home favourite Raneem El Weleily in Cairo earlier today.
Faced with almost near certain defeat, Nicol displayed amazing powers of recovery from 6-10 down in the fourth game to silence the Egyptian crowd with an 5-11, 11-8, 7-11, 14-12, 11-5 win.
Nicol thus regained the crown she lost on home ground in Penang in March and maintained her proud record of having never lost in a World Championship final.
The world title was a perfect end to 2014 for Nicol, who also won Commonwealth Games gold, Asian Games individual and team gold and six other WSA Tour tournaments besides leading Malaysia to a first Women's World Team Championship final.