KUALA LUMPUR: Former double international Koh Hock Seng, who represented Malaysia in hockey and football, died of liver cancer yesterday.
He was 81.
In hockey, Hock Seng, a centre forward, was known for his high work rate and skill.
A product of Malacca High School, he represented Malaysia at the 1964 Tokyo and 1968 Mexico City Olympics.
Born in 1945, Hock Seng was 19 when he made his Olympic debut in Tokyo.
He also played at the 1966 Bangkok Asian Games and was named in the Asian All-Stars squad the same year.
In football, Hock Seng represented Malaysia at the 1965 Tokyo Asian Youth Football tournament, where the team won bronze.
He had a relatively short international career, retiring from sports at 23 after the 1968 Olympics to focus on his family business.
Former Olympian Tam Chiew Seng said Hock Seng was a great centre forward.
“Besides playing in two Olympics, he also featured in the Asian All-Stars team.
“I was much younger than Hock Seng when I used to watch him play hockey at Malacca High School.”
“Hock Seng played alongside Ho Koh Chye, Lawrence van Huizen, C. Paramalingam, Datuk R. Yogeswaran, Michael Arulraj and Yang Siow Ming in the national hockey team,” said Chiew Seng who featured at the 1982 Bombay World Cup and 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
Chiew Seng had visited Hock Seng at a nursing home in Subang Jaya hours before the latter died.
Hock Seng was honoured by the Melaka Hockey Association last year at an event recognising state-born Olympians and World Cup players.