KUALA LUMPUR: Former national hockey player K. Rajan died in Ipoh on Monday at the age of 68.
The Perak-born forward had a unique, 50-year journey as a player and coach in the Razak Cup from 1975-2025.
He played in the Razak Cup from 1975-1987, representing Perak (1975-1980), Selangor (1981), and KL (1982-1987).
His most outstanding achievement was guiding KL to six Razak Cup titles when he served as coach between 1992-2002.
A former Tenaga Nasional employee, he has been the Perak state coach since 2023, with his last assignment being the Razak Cup in Bukit Jalil last month.
At the international level, Rajan played in two SEA Games for Malaysia — the 1977 KL and 1979 Jakarta editions — winning gold medals on both occasions.
He also guided Malaysia to 12th place as a coach in the 2009 Junior World Cup.
Perak Hockey Association president Datuk Sayuti Samat said he received a phone call from Rajan’s wife that Rajan had a fallen in the bathroom at 9am (Monday) before he died. “I am very sad to lose a dear friend whom I have known since I was 15,” said the former national goalkeeper Sayuti.
“I played hockey with Rajan for Perak in the National Schools Sports Council (MSSM) competitions, and we also played together for Malaysia in the 1979 SEA Games, in which we won gold.
“He is very loyal and a friendly person, who has vast experience as a player and coach. He has dedicated all his life to hockey and last week he conducted a coaching course for schools in Sabah,” Sayuti said.
National junior coach Nor Saiful Zaini revealed Rajan was his first coach at the Anglo Chinese School (ACS) in Ipoh in 1981.
“He is such a cool coach, who is very friendly with the players. He gives good advice and also motivates the players before and after matches.
“Rajan played two roles in Tenaga Nasional as an employee and also as a long-serving coach.
“I played under him, and he guided Tenaga Nasional to win league and overall titles in the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) a few times.
“We in Tenaga Nasional are going to miss him dearly,” said Nor Saiful, who coaches the national junior team that will feature in the Junior World Cup in India from Nov 28-Dec 10.
Aftar Singh, a senior journalist, said he had known Rajan since 1993, describing him as friendly, especially to the media.
“He was chatty and often invite the media for dinner after leading his team to hockey titles,” Aftar said.
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