KUALA LUMPUR: Former international Datuk Rashid Sidek, who was a classmate of Wong Tat Meng at Victoria Institution (VI), has revealed that his close friend has always had a passion for motorcycles.
Rashid said he was deeply concerned after hearing that Tat Meng had been involved in a serious motorcycle accident on Sunday (Sept 8), a development confirmed to him by several mutual friends.
Australian media reported that a serious crash occurred on Putty Road at Garland Valley in Sydney, in which one of the bikers died at the scene.
The second rider, a 58-year-old man, was treated at the site by New South Wales ambulance paramedics before being airlifted to hospital in a critical condition.
“I received news from some friends that Tat Meng was involved in a motorcycle accident, and I’m deeply concerned. I hope and pray he makes a full recovery,” said Rashid.
“We were classmates in VI when Tat Meng joined the school in Form Four, and we later became national teammates.
“A wonderful person and very straightforward, he was part of the Project 88-90 and Project 90-92 squads to prepare for Malaysia’s Thomas Cup campaigns.
“He played in the 1992 Thomas Cup qualifying round but was unlucky to be dropped from the final squad.
“When I joined the BA of Malaysia (BAM) as an assistant coach, he was the national junior coach and later became assistant to Li Mao in the senior team.
“He has always been an avid biker, even in those days, and used to own a Kawasaki Vulcan while with the national team.
“He was involved in bike-riding adventures during his early coaching career and rekindled his passion when he returned to Malaysia to coach Lee Zii Jia in 2023.”
After leaving BAM, Tat Meng followed Li Mao to Indonesia and also had coaching stints in Scotland, South Korea and Hong Kong before taking charge of Zii Jia until the 2024 Paris Olympics, where he guided the independent shuttler to men’s singles bronze.
He retired from international coaching after the Olympics and, late last year, joined a private club run by his former national teammate Asok Boopathy in Sydney as a coach.
“Asok is also an avid biker, and the two have always been active in long biking adventures throughout the year, frequently posting updates on social media,” added Rashid.
“We have yet to receive updates on Tat Meng’s condition, but I hope he makes a speedy recovery.”
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
