Malaysia’s veterans strike double gold at Masters hockey championship
SULTAN Ahmad Shah Malaysian Veterans Hockey Association players achieved a rare double by winning two gold medals at the World Masters Men’s Asian Continental Championship 2025, held at the Hong Kong Sports Club from Nov 25–30. Coach V. Kalimuthu’s 060s squad successfully defended their title, while the 050s squad, guided by former international and Olympian Maninderjit Singh, clinched their first-ever championship win.
The 060s team delivered a dominant performance throughout the tournament, defeating Hong Kong 5-0 in the final. In the preliminary round, they overwhelmed Singapore 11-0, edged Japan 3-2, and beat South Korea 5-3. In the final, captain and former international Soon Mustaffa opened the scoring in the 13th minute, followed by goals from R. Chandrasegar, Zaiharin Jauhari, Harcharanjit Sundar and Datuk Seri Surinder Singh Dhaliwal.
Malaysia’s 050s squad also shone brightly, defeating Japan 3-0 in the final under coach Eugene Lee. They began strongly in the group stage with a 4-0 win over Singapore, a 1-1 draw with Hong Kong, and a commanding 8-0 victory against Bangladesh to seal their spot in the final.
In the title match, skipper Sunil Eyamo broke the deadlock in the 30th minute before Guna Baladisnan doubled the lead six minutes later. Sunil then struck again to secure Malaysia’s third goal, sealing the gold medal and completing a memorable double triumph for the veterans.