Heah Hock Aun, (; 15 January 1932-7 May 2014) is a former Malayan (Malaysian)

badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racket (sports equipment), racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net (device), net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per s ...

player, known for his accuracy and touch, who excelled internationally during the 1950s.

Early life

Heah was born on 15 January 1932, in

Penang Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Ma ...

British Malaya The term "British Malaya" (; ms, Tanah Melayu British) loosely describes a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the island of Singapore that were brought under British hegemony or control between the late 18th and the mid-20th century. ...

. He was the son of Heah Joo Seang, a well-known rubber magnate, philanthropist and politician in Malaya.

Career

Known as Johnny Heah while playing in Europe, he won men's singles at the Scottish Open in 1952, and was runner-up in men's singles to the celebrated

Eddy Choong Dato' Choong Ewe Beng (29 May 1931 – 28 January 2013) was a Malaysian badminton player. He was David Choong's brother and they played men's doubles together. Early life Choong Ewe Beng, also known as Eddy, was born on May 29, 1931, and w ...

at the prestigious All-England Championships in 1953. His most notable badminton achievement was winning men's doubles at the 1957 All-England's with American

Joe Alston Joseph Cameron Alston (December 20, 1926 – April 16, 2008) was an American badminton player who won major titles between 1951 and 1967. Career Despite a career in the Federal Bureau of Investigation which sometimes interfered with his avocatio ...

, beating Eddy Choong and his brother

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

. Heah represented Malaya in the 1958

Thomas Cup The Thomas Cup, sometimes called the World Men's Team Championships, is an international badminton competition among teams representing member nations of the Badminton World Federation (BWF), the sport's global governing body. The championships h ...

(world team championship) Challenge Round, splitting his two doubles matches in Malaya's loss of the cup to Indonesia.

Personal life

Heah married Amy Choong, cousin of the famous Malayan badminton players,

David E. L. Choong Choong Ewe Leong (; 5 April 1929 – 10 September 2011) was a former Malaysian badminton player and politician. Career With his younger brother, the charismatic Eddy Choong, he captured men's doubles titles at the prestigious All-England ...

and

, in 1955.

References

1932 births Malaysian people of Teochew descent 2014 deaths Sportspeople from Penang Malaysian sportspeople of Chinese descent Malaysian male badminton players {{Malaysia-badminton-bio-stub