Heah Hock Aun, ( zh, c=連福安; 15 January 1932 – 7 May 2014) was 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 is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia along the Strait of Malacca. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula. Th ...

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

. He was the son of

Heah Joo Seang Heah Joo Seang () was a Malayan politician, business leader, rubber magnate, philanthropist and especially a supporter of education. Malaysia, as it has since become, only existed after Joo Seang's death. His contributions span three distinct p ...

, 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 29 May 1931, and was ...

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 avocat ...

, beating Eddy Choong and his brother

David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...

. Heah represented Malaya in the 1958

Thomas Cup The Thomas Cup, sometimes referred as 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 and

, in 1955.

References

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