View source for Carol Owens (squash player)

{{Short description|New Zealand squash player}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{BLP sources|date=March 2010}}
{{Infobox squash player
| name                    = Carol Owens
| image                   = 
| caption                 = 
| fullname                = 
| nickname                = 
| country                 = {{AUS}}, {{NZL}}
| residence               = [[Auckland]], [[New Zealand]]
| birth_date              = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1971|6|4}}
| birth_place             = [[Melbourne]], [[Australia]]
| height                  = 
| weight                  = 
| turnedpro               = 
| retired                 = 2004
| plays                   = 
| coach                   = 
| racquet                 = 
| website                 = 
| event                   = Women's singles
| years_active            = 
| highest_ranking         = No. 1
| date_of_highest_ranking = November 2002
| played                  = 
| titles                  = 
| finals                  = 
| medaltemplates          = 
{{MedalSport | Women's [[squash (sport)|squash]] }}
{{MedalCountry | {{AUS}} }}
{{MedalCompetition | [[World Squash Championships|World Championships]] }}
{{MedalGold | [[2000 Women's World Open Squash Championship|2000 Edinburgh]] | Singles }}
{{MedalBronze | [[1997 Women's World Open Squash Championship|1997 Sydney]] | Singles }}
{{MedalCompetition | [[World Team Squash Championships|World Team Championships]] }}
{{MedalGold | [[1994 Women's World Team Squash Championships|1994 Saint Peter Port]] | Team }}
{{MedalGold | [[1996 Women's World Team Squash Championships|1996 Petaling Jaya]] | Team }}
{{MedalGold | [[1998 Women's World Team Squash Championships|1998 Stuttgart]] | Team }}
{{MedalCompetition | [[Squash at the Commonwealth Games|Commonwealth Games]] }}
{{MedalBronze | [[1998 Commonwealth Games|1998 Kuala Lumpur]] | [[Squash at the 1998 Commonwealth Games|Doubles]] }}
{{MedalCountry | {{NZL}} }}
{{MedalCompetition | [[World Squash Championships|World Championships]] }}
{{MedalGold | [[2003 Women's World Open Squash Championship|2003 Hong Kong]] | Singles }}
{{MedalBronze | [[2001 Women's World Open Squash Championship|2001 Melbourne]] | Singles }}
{{MedalBronze | [[2002 Women's World Open Squash Championship|2002 Doha]] | Singles }}
{{MedalCompetition | [[Squash at the Commonwealth Games|Commonwealth Games]] }}
{{MedalGold | [[2002 Commonwealth Games|2002 Manchester]] | [[Squash at the 2002 Commonwealth Games|Doubles]] }}
{{MedalSilver | [[2002 Commonwealth Games|2002 Manchester]] | [[Squash at the 2002 Commonwealth Games|Singles]] }}
| updated                 = 3 March 2010
}}

'''Carol Owens''' (born 4 June 1971) is a former [[New Zealand]]-based [[Squash (sport)|squash]] player who won the [[World Open (squash)|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|date=August 2023}} A right-hander, she made her competitive debut in 1990 in the Swiss Open where she finished 17th.{{citation needed|date=August 2023}} 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|date=August 2023}}

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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://squashmad.com/breaking-news/interview-11-points-with-former-world-champion-carol-owens/ |title=Former world champion starred for rivals Australia and New Zealand|date=11 March 2014 }}</ref>

Owens began to challenge for the world championship whilst still representing Australia and her first World Open title came in 2000 when she came back from two games down to 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]].
<br />In 2001, Owens changed her 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.squashtalk.com/html/news/jan04/news04-1-07a.htm |title=So Farewell Carol Owens: A Personal Tribute by Martin Bronstein, Written Specially for SquashTalk |last=Bronstein |first=Martin |date=12 January 2004 |publisher=Squashtalk.com |accessdate=5 March 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100208151315/http://www.squashtalk.com/html/news/jan04/news04-1-07a.htm |archivedate=8 February 2010}}</ref>

==World Open==

===Finals: 2 (2 title, 0 runners-up)===

{| class="sortable wikitable"
!width="100"| Outcome
!width="350"| Year
!width="200"| Location
!width="150"| Opponent in the final
!width="200"| Score in the final
|-
| bgcolor="98FB98" | Winner || [[2000 Women's World Open Squash Championship]] || [[Edinburgh]], [[Scotland]] || {{flagicon|NZL}} [[Leilani Joyce]] || 9–6, 9–5, 7–9, 5–9, 9–6
|-
| bgcolor="98FB98" | Winner || [[2003 Women's World Open Squash Championship]] || [[Hong Kong]] || {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Cassie Jackman]] || 3–9, 9–2, 9–7, 9–3
|}

==World Team Championships==

===Finals: 3 (3 title, 0 runner-up)===

{| class="sortable wikitable"
!width="100"| Outcome
!width="350"| Year
!width="200"| Location
!width="150"| Opponent in the final
!width="150"| Score in the final
|-
| bgcolor="98FB98" | Winner || [[1994 Women's World Team Squash Championships]] || [[Saint Peter Port]], Guernsey || {{flagicon|ENG}} England || 3–0
|-
| bgcolor="98FB98" | Winner || [[1996 Women's World Team Squash Championships]] || [[Petaling Jaya]], Malaysia || {{flagicon|ENG}} England || 2–1
|-
| bgcolor="98FB98" | Winner || [[1998 Women's World Team Squash Championships]] || [[Stuttgart]], Germany || {{flagicon|ENG}} England || 3–0
|}

==See also==
* [[List of WISPA number 1 ranked players]]
* [[Official Women's Squash World Ranking]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{WISPA|T00055}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070226114051/http://www.squashpics.com/topwomen/carol_owens.htm Carol Owens] at SquashPics.com (archived)
* {{SquashInfo|791}}
* [http://www.commonwealthgames.org.nz/Athletes/AthleteProfile.aspx?print=&id=3780&ContactID=2293 Profile at the New Zealand Olympic Committee website]{{Dead link|date=June 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

{{s-start}}
{{s-sports}}
{{succession box
| before = [[Sarah Fitz-Gerald]]<br />Sarah Fitz-Gerald<br />Natalie Grainger
| after = Sarah Fitz-Gerald<br />[[Natalie Grainger]]<br />[[Cassie Jackman]]
| title = [[Official Women's Squash World Ranking|World No. 1]]
| years = November 2002 <br /> March 2003 – May 2003<br />July 2003 – January 2004
}}
{{s-end}}

{{Squash World Number Ones (women)}}
{{Squash World Open women's champions}}
{{World Series squash women's champions}}
{{2002 New Zealand Commonwealth Games team}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Owens, Carol}}
[[Category:Australian emigrants to New Zealand]]
[[Category:New Zealand female squash players]]
[[Category:1971 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists for New Zealand]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games silver medallists for New Zealand]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Auckland]]
[[Category:Sportswomen from Victoria (state)]]
[[Category:Squash players at the 2002 Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:Squash players from Melbourne]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for Australia]]
[[Category:Squash players at the 1998 Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:Australian female squash players]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists in squash]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games silver medallists in squash]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games bronze medallists in squash]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games squash players for New Zealand]]
[[Category:Medallists at the 1998 Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:Medallists at the 2002 Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:21st-century Australian sportswomen]]