Carol Owens (squash player)
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Residence | Auckland, New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Retired | 2004 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Women's singles ![]() | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Highest ranking | No. 1 (November 2002) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Last updated: 3 March 2010. |
Carol Owens (born 4 June 1971) is a former New Zealand-based squash player who won the World Open in 2000 and 2003.
Owens was born in Melbourne, Australia, and would eventually change her nationality when she moved to Auckland, New Zealand.[citation needed] A right-hander, she made her competitive debut in 1990 in the Swiss Open where she finished 17th.[citation needed] Her first final was the 1993 Japan Open where she was a runner-up to the Canadian Heather Wallace. She did not have to wait long for her first major victory, which came in October in Adelaide, South Australia.[citation needed]
She was part of the Australian winning team at the 1994 Women's World Team Squash Championships, 1996 Women's World Team Squash Championships and 1998 Women's World Team Squash Championships.
She has the unique achievement of representing both Australia and New Zealand at the highest level and is the first female player to win medals for two countries at the Commonwealth Games.[1]
Owens began to challenge for the world championship whilst still representing Australia and her first World Open title came in 2000 when she beat New Zealander Leilani Joyce 7–9, 3–9, 10–8, 9–6, 9–1. This was after an equally epic semi-final against Sarah Fitz-Gerald.
In 2001, Owens changed nationality becoming a New Zealander and at the 2002 Commonwealth Games she won the gold in the doubles and a silver in the singles. The elusive second world title came in 2003, when she beat Cassie Campion 3–9, 9–2, 9–7, 9–3. It was in 2003 that she became – for the first time – the World No. 1 ranked player.
At the beginning of 2004, Owens announced that she had retired from the professional game.[2]
World Open
[edit]Finals: 2 (2 title, 0 runners-up)
[edit]Outcome | Year | Location | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
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Winner | 2000 Women's World Open Squash Championship | Edinburgh, Scotland | ![]() |
9–6, 9–5, 7–9, 5–9, 9–6 |
Winner | 2003 Women's World Open Squash Championship | Hong Kong | ![]() |
3–9, 9–2, 9–7, 9–3 |
World Team Championships
[edit]Finals: 3 (3 title, 0 runner-up)
[edit]Outcome | Year | Location | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
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Winner | 1994 Women's World Team Squash Championships | Saint Peter Port, Guernsey | ![]() |
3–0 |
Winner | 1996 Women's World Team Squash Championships | Petaling Jaya, Malaysia | ![]() |
2–1 |
Winner | 1998 Women's World Team Squash Championships | Stuttgart, Germany | ![]() |
3–0 |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Former world champion starred for rivals Australia and New Zealand". 11 March 2014.
- ^ Bronstein, Martin (12 January 2004). "So Farewell Carol Owens: A Personal Tribute by Martin Bronstein, Written Specially for SquashTalk". Squashtalk.com. Archived from the original on 8 February 2010. Retrieved 5 March 2010.
External links
[edit]- Carol Owens at WISPA (archived)
- Carol Owens at SquashPics.com (archived)
- Carol Owens at Squash Info
- Profile at the New Zealand Olympic Committee website[permanent dead link]
- Australian emigrants to New Zealand
- New Zealand female squash players
- 1971 births
- Living people
- Commonwealth Games gold medallists for New Zealand
- Commonwealth Games silver medallists for New Zealand
- Sportspeople from Auckland
- Sportswomen from Victoria (state)
- Squash players at the 2002 Commonwealth Games
- Sportspeople from Melbourne
- Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for Australia
- Squash players at the 1998 Commonwealth Games
- Australian female squash players
- Commonwealth Games medallists in squash
- Medallists at the 1998 Commonwealth Games
- Medallists at the 2002 Commonwealth Games