AT the age of 14 in 1994, a tiny lad announced to the world that he had arrived by winning his maiden British Junior title. Then, he became unstoppable.
He became national champion, won 11 professional titles and swept the Asian Games gold, not once but twice in Busan 2002 and Doha 2006.
He was ranked seventh in the world and became one of the most successful men’s squash players the country has ever produced.
His is a success story to be proud of. A Malaysian athlete, who turned coach cum administrator and excelled in all roles.
So, who says an athlete can’t be a good coach or a leader?
They can if they put their heart and soul into it. True, some are not cut out for it – but it’s not for lack of talent. They just lack passion and drive.
Beng Hee, who fell in love with the sport since he was eight, is a testament to the fact that a local product can stand tall in the eyes of the world.
He is not alone. There are other former players who have taken the bull by its horn when handed responsibilities to chart the fortunes of high-profile sports.
Take former world No. 1 shuttler Wong Choong Hann. In just a year since taking over as coaching director with the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM), the 43-year-old has got the national centre ticking like a clock, and with smiles all around.
Never before have shuttlers returned from a motivation camp smiling from ear to ear. But that’s exactly what happened when the Thomas-Uber Cup Finals team trainees returned from the Tioman Island recently.
There were no long droning speeches or equally boring motivators. Choong Hann’s careful planning saw them having fruitful team building activities, better communication and a relaxed time.Having gone through the system before, Choong Hann knew what was needed in the national team – a happy, united team will mean players giving their best, and that will lead to good results.
S. Arul Selvaraj, the new national hockey coach, is another player whose time has come.
The former World Cupper has coached UniKl to great success in the local league and was also in Ireland and South Africa as a coach – all his vast experience and knowledge can make him equal or even better than some of the foreign coaches before him.
His good working relationship with players, coaches and the mutual respect he has from others will also go a long way in a team event.
Like Beng Hee, Choong Hann and Arul, there are other Malaysian-made players who have turned successful coaches in different sports like athletics, bowling, lawn bowls, basketball, etc.
Holloway Cheah, for instance, may be 78 but the old-timer, a member of the team that won the country’s first Asian Games bowling gold medal in Bangkok 1978, has been a role model for many.
He has not only been consistent in producing results over the last two decades as head coach but has also groomed a few other former world-beating bowlers and coaches like Ben Heng, Azidi Ameran, Wendy Chai, Gerald Samuel and Alex Liew to continue his legacy.
This breed of coaches is exceptional as they avoid mistakes they had made as athletes by giving better instructions to the current players.
They have a deeper understanding of players having gone through similar ups and downs.
They know what it means to succeed and fail. They can relate to the players.
Some have even developed close father-son bonds, which enables them to take the athletes further – and discipline them, when needed, too.
It’s great that some associations see the value in former players and give them huge roles to play with equally good remuneration packages.
Some however, need to change their mindset.
You can’t pay peanuts and get upset when you get monkeys. Former national footballer turned Bayern Munich youth coach Lim Teong Kim said something like that once.
And he was dead right.
The writer is encouraged to see local coaches making a name, defying the perception that “foreign is always better”.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Get 20% OFF The Star Digital Access
Cancel anytime. Ad-free. Unlimited access with perks.
