Jade Wilson
{{short description|New Zealand squash player}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2018}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=August 2018}}
{{Infobox squash player
|name=Jade Wilson
|birth_date=1977
|birth_place=Wellington, New Zealand
|death_date={{death date and age|1998|05|14|1977|df=y}}
|death_place=Perth, Australia
|event=women's singles
|highest_ranking=18
|date_of_highest_ranking=
|coach=Tony Naughton, Rob Walker, Barrie Matthews
}}
Jade Wilson (1977 – 14 May 1998) was a New Zealand squash player representing the national team mainly in junior-level competitions.{{Cite web|url=https://www.squashinfo.com/player/1232-jade-wilson|title=Squash Info {{!}} Jade Wilson {{!}} Squash|website=www.squashinfo.com|language=en|access-date=2 August 2018}} Jade Wilson is still remembered as one of the greatest ever junior squash players to have emerged from New Zealand and to have represented the country at junior level along with Stuart Davenport, Susan Devoy and Glen Wilson. She won the 1995 World Junior Squash Championships individual event in Sydney, which was her highest career performance. With this triumph, she also became the first ever New Zealander to win a Junior Squash Championship singles title. On 14 May 1998, she committed suicide in Perth after becoming an international professional player.{{Cite web|url=http://www.nzsquashhalloffame.co.nz/jade-wilson-2013.html|title=Jade-Wilson-2013|website=www.nzsquashhalloffame.co.nz|access-date=2 August 2018|archive-date=19 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200119212706/http://nzsquashhalloffame.co.nz/jade-wilson-2013.html|url-status=dead}}
In 2013, Squash New Zealand recognised Wilson's achievements and inducted her into the New Zealand Squash Hall of Fame, 15 years after her death.
Early life
Wilson was born in 1977 and was raised in Wellington. She attended Wellington Girls' College.{{cn|date=July 2023}}
She started playing squash at the Tawa Club and was coached by Tony Naughton, who was her first coach. She also played squash in Mana Club and was coached by Rob Walker.{{Cite web|url=http://www.manasquash.co.nz/committee-club-champs/|title=Committee & Club Champion board {{!}}|website=www.manasquash.co.nz|language=en-US|access-date=2 August 2018}} She also hired Palmerston North based coach Barrie Matthews who later inspired her to win the Junior world title in 1995.{{Cite news|url=http://i.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/local-papers/kapi-mana-news/9335816/Young-squash-star-remembered|title=Young squash star remembered|work=Stuff|access-date=2 August 2018|language=en}}
Career
Wilson emerged at the international level for the first time at the age of 16, during the 1993 World Junior Squash Championships reaching semi-finals in the individual category and was part of the New Zealand squad which became runners-up to Australia at the team event.
At the 1995 World Junior Squash Championships, she made history by winning the women's individual title in Sydney defeating favourite Australia's Rachel Grinham in the finals to secure her maiden title.{{Cite web|url=https://mch.govt.nz/major-events-fund-invests-2017-world-junior-squash-champs|title=Major Events Fund invests in 2017 World Junior Squash Champs {{!}} Ministry for Culture and Heritage|website=mch.govt.nz|language=en|access-date=2 August 2018}} After winning the 1995 Junior World title, she became the first and only player from New Zealand to become a Junior Squash World Champion.{{Cite web|url=https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/squashsite/jade-wilson-t851.html|title=Jade Wilson|website=SquashSite|language=en-gb|access-date=2 August 2018}} Despite her achievement, New Zealand failed to reach the final in the women's team event and had a third-place finish at the 1995 World Junior Squash Championships.{{Cite web|url=http://squashnz.co.nz/about/history.cfm?content_id=3054|title=Squash NZ - Home Page of Squash in New Zealand, Play Squash, Get Fit Playing Squash Have fun squash, History of Squash in NZ |language=en|access-date=2 August 2018}} She was named the Manawatu sportsperson of the year in 1995 for her memorable achievement of winning the 1995 Junior World title.{{Cite web|url=https://www.pressreader.com/new-zealand/manawatu-standard/20110917/282041913857835|title=Jade Wilson winning the prestigious Manawatu sportsperson of the year award 1995|via=PressReader|access-date=2 August 2018}}
Besides the World Junior title, Wilson also emerged victorious at the 1995 British Junior Open Squash in the U19 category.
She became a professional squash player in 1997 by achieving her highest ever career rating of 18.{{Cite web|url=http://www.centralsquash.co.nz/about/hall-of-fame|title=Hall of Fame|website=www.centralsquash.co.nz|language=en-gb|access-date=2 August 2018}}
== Death ==
Jade Wilson committed suicide on 14 May 1998 when she was 21 years old.
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{SquashInfo|id=1232}}
{{NewZealand-squash-bio-stub}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Jade}}
Category:New Zealand female squash players
Category:Sportspeople from Wellington City