Ann Marie David and her daughter, eight-tim world squash champion, Datuk Nicol Ann David

Behind every great athlete is a mother who made the sacrifice for greatness.

- Tania Jayatilaka

Datuk Nicol David and her mum Ann Marie David tell Tatler what makes their bond special

Careers come and go. Glory can pass out of memory as easily as it came, and even the most glittering trophies gather dust. But a mother’s influence? A teacher's impact? These are forces that bear on most, if not all, of our lives.

Ann Marie David said as much and lives by what she believes. And given that she is the mother of eight-time world squash champion, Datuk Nicol Ann David, I'd bet the ranch that Ann Marie knows exactly what she’s talking about.

“Teachers are so important,” says Ann Marie, who followed in her father’s footsteps as an educator, along with her two sisters. “The impact you have on the children will last forever.” Ann Marie fondly recalls her father’s easygoing nature, and how he never pressured his children beyond what they could handle. “That wasn’t my father’s way. My math skills were so poor. I remember telling him ‘Daddy, I might fail.’ And he told me ‘Don’t worry, I also always failed Maths!’ We had that kind of upbringing.”