Michelle Gould (née Gilman), born December 22, 1970, is a retired American

racquetball Racquetball is a racquet sport and a team sport played with a hollow rubber ball on an indoor or outdoor court. Joseph Sobek invented the modern sport of racquetball in 1950, adding a stringed racquet to paddleball in order to increase velo ...

player. She was the dominant player in the 1990s, finishing as the #1 player on the women's pro tour seven of those 10 seasons. Gould was once called "the best, man or woman, to ever play" racquetball. She had a strong drive serve. Injuries led to her retirement in 1999.

Professional career

Gould first appeared in the women's pro tour season ending top 10 at #2 in 1989–90, and then finished #1 in seven of the next eight seasons. After her final season at #1, Gould disappeared from the top 10. Gould's professional career was highlighted by winning the first two

US Open Racquetball Championships The UnitedHealthcare US Open Racquetball Championships is the premier professional racquetball event. It is a Grand Slam event with men and women competing from the International Racquetball Tour and Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour, respectivel ...

in 1996 and 1997. During one stretch of her pro career (Oct 1995 – May 1997), Gould won 18 consecutive tournaments, and 30 of 33.

International career

Gould won her first
International Racquetball Federation (IRF)

World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

in 1992 by defeating Canadian Heather Stupp in the final, which avenged a loss to Stupp two years earlier. She then won the next two World Championships in 1994 and 1996, respectively defeating Robin Levine (USA) and

Cheryl Gudinas Cheryl Gudinas (born May 11, 1967) is an American retired racquetball player. Gudinas won three ww.internationalracquetball.com International Racquetball Federation(IRF) World Championships in Women’s Singles (2000, 2002, 2004), and was the #1 ...

(USA) in the finals. She won the Pan American Championships (formerly the Tournament of the Americas) six times: four times in singles in 1988, 1990, 1991, and 1998 and twice in doubles in 1994 with Robin Levine and 1996 with

. Gould also won gold medals at the 1993

World Games The World Games are an international multi-sport event comprising sports and sporting disciplines that are not contested in the Olympic Games. They are usually held every four years, one year after a Summer Olympic Games, over the course of 11 d ...

and the 1995

Pan American Games The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is held ...

USA championships

Gould's eight US Nationals Championships in singles are tied for most won by a woman with

. Gould won those eight titles in a nine-year span from 1989 to 1997, interrupted only by Robin Levine's victory in 1994. Gould also won six US National Doubles titles. The first was with Cindy Doyle in 1989, then she won two with

Jackie Paraiso Jackie (Jacqueline) Paraiso (born September 14, 1966) is an American racquetball player. Paraiso was the #1 player on the women's pro racquetball tour at the end of the 1991-92, 1998–99, and 1999-2000 seasons. She is a seven time World Champion ...

in 1990 and 1991.

Laura Fenton Laura Fenton (born June 28, 1962) is an American racquetball player. She won two World Championships in doubles, and finished in the top 10 on the Women's Professional Racquetball Organization rankings seven times in her career. Professional ca ...

was Gould's partner for the 1993 title, and Gudinas won the 1995 and 1996 championships with Gould.

Personal

Born Michelle Gilman, she married Rod Gould in 1992. Gould grew up in Ontario, Oregon, and she first took racquetball lessons in Boise, Idaho, where she later lived with her husband.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gould, Michelle 1970 births Living people American racquetball players World Games gold medalists Pan American Games medalists in racquetball Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States Competitors at the 1993 World Games Racquetball players at the 1995 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1995 Pan American Games