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Sarah Fitzgerald - Sport Australia Hall of Fame.

Australian squash great Sarah Fitz-Gerald has joined some of the world’s most illustrious sportsmen and women with her induction into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.

Fitz-Gerald was inducted as part of the 2010 intake at a gala dinner in Melbourne recently. She now sits proudly alongside Australian sporting icons such as Sir Donald Bradman, Dawn Fraser and Herb Elliott in the Hall of Fame and joins fellow squash players Heather McKay, Geoff Hunt, Vicki Cardwell and Michelle Martin as members.

“It’s great credit to her to be recognised by her peers in this way,” Sport Australia chief executive officer Bob Lay said. “She’s such a fantastic person – it’s great to now have her as a member.”

As a youngster, Sarah Fitz-Gerald won every junior title possible, with state and national titles and continued on by kick starting her senior career in 1987 winning the World Junior Championship and was awarded ‘Australian Junior Athlete of the Year’. She became the first player to combine that with the World Open crown when she sensationally won the title in Malaysia in 1996, not dropping a game in the whole championship and for the loss of only 29 points.

Even better was to follow though. Fitz-Gerald continued her winning form throughout 1997 winning seven more titles and capturing the Gold Medal at the first World Games in Lahti, Finland. In October, in her home country of Australia, Fitz-Gerald successfully won her 2nd World Open crown in Sydney before winning her first Australian Open title in her home town of Melbourne.
Fitz-Gerald had a mixed year in 1998 and suddenly found herself in danger of losing her crown but the one title she truly desired was the World Open, and won it for a record third time.  At 2 games all and 8-2 down in the 5th, Fitz-Gerald found the strength both physically and mentally to save 8 match balls against rival Michelle Martin (Aust) to win her third World Open title in a match described as the ’best Women’s World Open final ever’.

1998 saw Australia also win the World Team event giving Fitz-Gerald her forth World Team Championship title, before she bowed out of the game for 4 months needing surgery on her left knee to repair cartilage damage.  After a premature return to the World Tour, Fitz-Gerald returned home for further surgery and rehabilitation forcing her to miss nearly all of 1999.
2000 started with a bang with 5 successive Tour wins before another period of rehabilitation, and the remainder of the year had its ups and downs, losing in the quarters of the British Open and semis of the World Open. Two weeks later Fitz-Gerald turned the tables on the newly crowned World Open Champion in the Universal Sports Club Classic to end the year on a high.
The one event that eluded Fitz-Gerald was the British Open. She finally captured this prestigious title at the NIA in Birmingham, England on June 10th and continued her winning streak taking her second Australian Open title in August.

Her career continued on a high by winning all events in 2002 and capturing the Commonwealth Games Gold Medal, named the Australian Athlete of the Year in 2001 and 2002 as well as winning the Dawn Fraser Award in 2001. Sarah is the most successful present day WISPA player with sixty-five (65) World Tour titles. Not content with just playing, Fitz-Gerald uses her energies for the good of her fellow players and was President of the Women’s International Squash Players Association (WISPA), supports   WISPA Promotional Tours, is ambassador to the Australia Day Program, Junior Girls Program and Patron of the Victoria Squash Federation.

Due to her continued efforts within squash, Sarah has been awarded the prestigious Member of the Order of Australia (AM) and is recognized by her peers by being inducted into the WISPA, World Squash Federation, Squash Australia and Victorian Squash Federation Hall of Fame.

Sarah’s success has taken her to World Masters and British Masters Titles while being a Squash Australia board member and Oceania Squash Federation major games committee. She continues to give back to Victorian and Australian squash as a consultant coach to the Victorian Institute of Sport and conducting promotional tours throughout the country regions.

ACHIEVEMENTS:
Winner of 65 WISPA and World Tour titles from 94 finals appearances
• Five-time World Open Squash Champion (1996, 97, 98, 01, 02)
• Twice British Open Champion (2001, 02)
• Australian Open Champion (1997, 2001, 02, 03)
• World ranked No.1 (1996-98, 2001-03)
• World Cup Gold Medallist (1997)
• Five-time World Teams Champion (1992, 94, 96, 98, 02)
• World Junior Champion (1987)
• Represented Australia on 75 occasions
• Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist – Individual (2002)
• Commonwealth Games Silver Medallist – Individual (1998)
• Commonwealth Games Bronze Medallist – Doubles (1998)

MAJOR AWARDS:
• Dawn Fraser Award Winner (2001) defeating Lleyton Hewitt and Ian Thorpe
• Australian Female Athlete of the Year (2001)
• VIS Athlete of the Year (1998, 2002)
• Australian Junior Female Athlete of the Year (1987)
• Australia Junior Female Team of the Year (1985)
• Victorian Sportswoman of the Year (2002)
• Victorian Sportsperson of the Year (2002)
• Order of Australia (AM) (2004)
• Squash Australia Hall of Fame (2005)