Malaysian maestro will make up his mind at Christmas
By Squash Mad Reporter
Retirement is not on veteran Ong Beng Hee’s mind, at least for the next three months.
The 34-year-old agreed that he is at the tail end of his career, but will wait until the end of December to make a decision on his career.
Talking to the Star in Malysia, he revealed: “I will have to weigh the pros and cons. I cannot go on forever. If I can still play for a while, then I may do so. Otherwise, I will quit and look at other opportunities.
“With a lot of young players coming through the ranks in the international arena, the going is indeed tough.”
He, however, has not closed the door on a coaching career or getting involved in development work with the Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia (SRAM).
“Like I said it will depend on what I decide at the end of the year. If SRAM want me to work with them, then there is no issue. It is up to them,” he said.
For the moment though, Beng Hee’s attention is on the World Open in Doha in November.
“I am looking forward to the tournament and hope to do well. This Asiad has helped me a lot in terms of preparations,” said Beng Hee, who is ranked No. 35 in the world.
Beng Hee is the most successful Malaysian men squash player in the Asiad with six medals.
He won the singles gold twice – in Busan in 2002 and Doha in 2006. In Guangzhou in 2010, he bagged two bronzes. He then added a silver in the team event and a bronze in the singles in Incheon.
He asserted that he would not come out of retirement for another Asian campaign.
“That’s for sure. I feel that SRAM must put on their thinking caps and look for replacements for me and Mohamed Azlan (Iskandar).
“We both won’t be around but there are still two good younger players in Ivan Yuen and Mohamed Nafiizwan Adnan. But what about their back-up? We need another one or two good players to help Malaysia win medals.
“Of course, it’s up to SRAM to look into that and I am sure they have some plans in place,” he added.